Doomsday: Post Apocalypse
by RoadrunnerGER
Summary: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto
1. Unexpected help

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

A/N: I know this will come back to haunt me. LOL Still, I really hope that I won't get stuck in this one like I did in two others. I don't want to write and write and… until I can post this in three years or so. I'm looking forward to the exchange with you. Thank you for enjoying Doomsday and I hope you'll like this one, too. Special thanks to my wonderful beta _mandassina_. Enjoy!

Warning: It's close to November and I'd like to write original fiction this year so this story might not be updated before NaNo is over. Just wanted to get it out so you can put your alerts on it… if you like. ;) Thanks.

**Chapter 1 – Unexpected help**

**Cardiff**

Taking care of the considerably smaller bodies of the procompsognathus dinosaurs and another weevil, Jack racked his mind about how he should dispose of the octopus carcass.

_Can't sell it to restaurants. First, it's way too big for calamari rings. Second, it's already fried._

Chuckling he stuffed the last dinosaur into the oven and turned it on, burning the remains.

_I can't incinerate the squid up there in the Hub. Maybe I could cut it to pieces? Then it should fit in the oven._

_But even that would take forever. Wish I had a blaster. One shot and the thing would dissolve_.

He sighed.

_The thing will be decayed loooong before blasters are invented. Thankfully it shrunk when it was fried, but it's still huge._

Having worked all night to keep himself off brooding Jack was not only exhausted, he also had way too much on his mind to concentrate on the problem at hand. Deciding that staring at the carcass would not get him anywhere he took his coat and left the Hub through the tourist information office.

Out on the boardwalk he took a deep breath of salty sea air before he started walking up to the Plass to get to one of his favourite vantage points from there. He was strolling across the Oval Basin when he heard someone call out.

"Hey, Jack!"

Jack started, stopping abruptly, coat swinging around him. When he looked around he found the origin of the voice sitting on the big stairs bordering the basin. There was, holding a mug of coffee-to-go, the young man who had helped him chase the octopus, Ydris Rhydderch.

_Who shouldn't be able to remember me,_ Jack thought with a hint of annoyance. _Which really was a shame given how we spent the hours during lockdown._

The Welshman's green eyes bore into Jack curiously. This time Jack perceived the scar around his left eye as more prominent, though he could not say that it was appalling. He remembered that Ydris thought about that differently.

Deciding that he should not just stand and stare but find out if he really remembered Jack asked, "Do I know you?"

"Sure," the young man smirked. "It's me, Ydris."

"I'm sorry…"

Grinning mischievously the Welshman said, "You wanted to invite me for calamari, but the octopus turned out to be too big, and old, and tough."

His eyes widening with realization Jack could just stare at Ydris.

"Well, Jack, looks like your drug failed," Ydris shrugged. "I do remember all right. Staging a party at Andy's was the best you could come up with?"

Shaking off his shock Jack quipped, "I was on a tight schedule." Approaching him he asked, "What about the constables? Do they…?"

"Remember? No."

"Did you tell them?" Jack queried.

"No."

Thoughtfully Jack nodded. He knew that Retcon did not always work, but so far it had happened only twice and both witnesses were relatively easy to deal with. Now Ydris did not seem to be much different and loyal in addition if he really did not tell Gwen and Andy about what they had done in the days after the crisis. What bothered Jack was that Ydris was here now, obviously just waiting for him to appear, and he wondered what he was up to.

"So, what now?" Ydris asked. "Will you kill me?"

"What? Why?"

"Because I know who you are, what Torchwood is. Don't you have to assure that I'll keep the secret?" Ydris challenged.

Jack huffed. "Signing a confidentiality contract should do."

Scowling deeply Ydris said, "I thought you'd come up with something more inventive."

"Like what?"

"Hm… Like giving me a job?"

"Sorry, still no job vacancy," Jack told him, recalling at the same second the problem he had to deal with. "But…" he smirked. "I'd really like to invite you for octopus."

Grimacing sceptically Ydris joined Jack on his way back to the Hub. As they strode down the boardwalk toward the tourist information Jack used his wrist device to unlock it and pushed through the door.

"Come!" he beckoned Ydris. As soon as the young man stepped in Jack leaned over the counter and pressed the button under it. The front door fell shut while the hidden entrance opened. Jack led the way to an elevator that carried them down to another tunnel.

"I would've loved to take the scenic route," Jack said, ducking through the opening cog door, "but a carcass is sprawled right across the lift."

"Oh, that's all right. As long as I won't ever have to enter the Hub diving through the tunnel again," Ydris teased.

"Usually we use the sub for that," Jack smirked.

Stepping into the central Hub Ydris looked around. Even though he had seen it before he was stunned by the dimensions and the exotic equipment. Hopping down the stairs he followed Jack to the carcass.

"Oh, yeah, I can see your problem," he chuckled.

"It's too big."

"It is."

"What can we do about that?" Jack queried.

"Hmmm… do you have an axe?"

"An…" Thoughtfully Jack rubbed his chin. "Um… no."

"A big saw?"

This time Jack scratched his head. Finally he shrugged, "Suzie would know."

"You must have _something_ you can cut it up with!" Ydris laughed. "Look around you, Jack! All this alien tech must be good for something."

Suddenly Jack smirked broadly at him and ran off, back up the stairs and down to the autopsy bay. When he returned he held a harmless looking item that reminded Ydris of a hand blender. Curiously he watched how Jack aimed at an arm and activated the device. A laser cut cleanly through the flesh, separating the end of the arm from the rest.

"Great!" Ydris cheered. "Now, how about an industrial shredder? Then you can toss the remains into the ocean."

"A funeral at sea," Jack beamed. "Ydris, you're brilliant."

Smirking at Jack over the carcass he replied, "You really don't want to hire me?"

xXx

_The screaming of the saws on metal gave Ianto the creeps. Seeing them spin closer he tried to squirm out of their way but his restraints gave no leeway. All his struggles did him no good, only giving him pain, agony swallowing him whole. At the same time he was frozen with fear. Air caught painfully in his throat when he gasped for breath. They were about to rip into his flesh and…_

Ianto woke with a start. His eyes flew open and his gasp echoed in the silence around him.

_Light._

Wherever he was, it was not as dark as the prison he had dreamt about and that he escaped only hours ago. It also was softer, with a comfortable mattress underneath him and a warm duvet covering him.

Still Ianto lay rigid with fear.

_Where am I?_

The throes of his nightmare did not let go of him easily. It was only when he finally registered the loud snoring coming from his left that he could shake off the bigger part of his anxiety.

_Owen._

Turning his head to the left he saw the medic curled on the sofa, one arm hanging down the front. Ianto bit back a chuckle and took just another deep breath. Just those small movements already alerted him to how stiff and sore he still was.

_No idea why I turned onto my back again! For God's sake, that hurts!_

The sound of a horn and cries of seagulls drew his attention to the panorama window to his right. Even without leaving his position Ianto could look across the bay and watch the ships. In the distance he could make out part of Mermaid Quay.

_Somewhere over there is the base._

Following a human impulse Ianto pushed back the duvet and padded over to the bathroom.

_How satisfying it can be to be able to do something as simple as going to the toilet,_ Ianto thought with surprise as he stood and relieved himself.

For a second Ianto feared that the flush would wake Owen, but as he listened he noticed that the steady rhythm never changed, and he smirked to himself. Ianto went to search the content of his suitcase for new clothes before he washed himself. Dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt he then sat on the bed and watched the bay again.

_I should get something for breakfast,_ he thought as he felt his stomach grumble.

A look into Owen's fridge sobered him up. There was nothing but a jar of mayonnaise, a pair of sausages, and a half-empty can of tuna inside. Ianto disposed of the latter as it smelled like it was at least a week old.

_Pretty healthy lifestyle for a doctor._

With a sigh Ianto looked around the kitchen that did not offer much more edible. If he wanted to eat breakfast he would have to go and buy some food. No sooner thought than done, Ianto grabbed his wallet… and paused. It was the one Lisa had given him for Christmas last year. When he came home last night he just gathered what he needed, including cash from their mini safe in the closet and the wallet, without thinking about it. Now he looked at the fine black leather wallet and felt another surge of grief wash over him. He could almost hear Lisa argue, 'Why don't you ditch the old one? I didn't take you for the type of bloke who'd carry it until it conforms to the curve of his arse! Do you plan to keep it until it falls apart?'

Sniffing Ianto tried to force the grief back. He let his fingertips run over the smooth leather before he stuffed the wallet into the back pocket of his jeans. This one certainly would suffer the destiny Lisa had predicted. Taking another deep breath he strode out of the apartment and pulled the front door closed behind him. He did not know this part of Cardiff well, but he was pretty certain that he would find a market or a bakery within walking distance.

On his way down the stairs Ianto became aware again of how sore he still was. While he had helped the team search the archives he forgot about it, too glad about finally being able to move again. Then he had been sore and stiff when he got up again at the hotel. Now he found that his muscles protested every step he took. Groaning he clenched his teeth and ignored it.

_A walk will loosen me up,_ he thought. _I need to move if I don't want to turn stiff completely._

As expected he did not need to go very far to find a bakery where he would at least get something for breakfast. When he reached out for the handle to pull the door open his gaze fell onto a note hanging in the window.

_Room to let, apartment 4. Nice coincidence._

Intent on asking about the room, too, Ianto strolled inside and had a look at the offers while he waited. When it was his turn he chose a few pastries and intended to pay when the lady held out the paper bag across the counter. Ianto reached for it, but she did not let go, eyeing him curiously.

"Ianto?"

Surprised Ianto had a second look at her, but she did not seem familiar.

"You're Ianto Jones, right?" she prodded. "You were in my son's class."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but…" Ianto murmured, still at a loss… and still holding on to the paper bag above the counter that she would not let go of.

"I'm Colin's mom," she said. "Colin Dillard. You were in class together from year… four until graduation."

Now that name rang a bell. Ianto could not say that he had been best friends with Colin, which explained why he did not recognize his mother. Somewhere in the back of his mind the name triggered a hazy memory, though. He probably met her at school events.

_Oh! Colin's the cousin of Eric!_

The wheels slotted in place. He had been friends with Eric who was in the same year but a different class. Colin was the nasty little boy who flicked his bogeys at the girls, and neither Ianto nor Eric was happy when he had tried to tag along. As if she read his mind Mrs. Dillard said, "You lost touch with Eric, too. God, it's good to see you. How are you?"

"I'm fine," he lied and finally got his pastry bag.

Nodding, she asked, "Do you live in Cardiff now, dear?"

"No," Ianto shook his head. "I'm just here to temp at an office for a week or so, and, actually, I was about to ask about the note…"

"Oh!" she called out with enthusiasm. "The room to let. Yes, dear. Just a minute." And turning toward the door to the back room she shouted, "Sally! Could you tend the shop for a minute, please? Someone's asking for the room! I want to show it to him!"

"Sure, mom!" a female voice called back.

Before Sally had a chance to show up Mrs. Dillard ushered Ianto to the back door.

"Come, dear. Let me show you the room. I'm sure you'll like it. It's roomy and light and has a small ensuite."

Having no other choice Ianto fell into step behind her and followed her up the stairs while she went on babbling.

tbc…


	2. An easy day

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

A/N: Hello! I'm back! And I won NaNo with 50,580 words! YAY! 50,580 words of Post Apocalypse that need to be polished. Thank you for your wonderful comments on the first chapter. I hope you'll enjoy this one, too. Special thanks to my wonderful beta _mandassina_ who also supported me during NaNo. I love you! Everyone… Enjoy!

**Chapter 2 – An easy day**

Once they cut down the fried octopus to manageable pieces Jack called Dylan Porter, the fisherman who usually took him out to Flatholm Island once a month, and asked him if he could help them take the remains out to the open sea. A polite request and the prospect of a respectable sum of money quickly assured them of his help.

Jack did not count how often they had to go up and down with their carts, but when he rolled the last one onto the deck of the _Heriwch*_ he heaved a sigh and found a seat before he simply slumped where he stood.

"Are you okay?" Ydris demanded as he rushed to his side.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jack moaned. "I just need a moment."

Ydris sat down beside him and put an arm around Jack's waist. After a moment of resistance the captain leaned against him and rested his head on Ydris's shoulder.

"Are you all done?" Dylan called out to them.

"Yeah, we're ready to go!" Ydris replied in Jack's stead.

"All right!"

Dylan unmoored the boat while the other two men stayed where they were. When he returned to the bridge he ducked through the door and started the engine. Slowly the boat chugged across the bay toward the barrage.

"So…" Ydris gently prodded. "You never answered my question."

Jack tensed.

"Which question?"

"How many times have you died since the attack?"

Reflexively Jack tried to wind out of the Welshman's hold, but Ydris did not let go.

"That's hardly your business," Jack spat.

"Maybe you should decide that it is."

"No."

Even though the harsh answer hurt, Ydris did not back off. He had believed to have found a connection to Jack but obviously he had been mistaken. Oddly enough he felt like he knew the man for some time already, but the truth was that they met just the other day. Aside from that Jack had tried to steal his memories.

_How could I forgive him so easily? Did I forgive him? God, I don't know. What am I even doing here?_

Actually he should be at work right now. The problem was that Torchwood was much more interesting than shoving cans and cartons around or sitting at the cash desk at the local Tesco.

"How come you remember?" Jack suddenly asked. He knew some people were immune while others could overcome the drug given the right trigger and he was curious to know to which group Ydris belonged.

"Guess your drug failed to work," Ydris shrugged, unwilling to give away the truth. In fact Ydris had been suspicious and just pretended to drink from the can of soda Jack had given him. Still he had swallowed a little bit that made him tired, but he was not completely gone when Jack carried him up to Andy's flat. Only when the captain had left for London did Ydris allow himself to rest.

"Usually it's quite reliable."

"Well, shit happens," Ydris chuckled. "See it positive, I do remember you."

"That's definitely a pleasant thought," Jack smirked. "Maybe we can pick up where we were interrupted."

"Easy, Captain!" Ydris rushed to say as Jack's hand slid toward private areas.

"I thought you enjoyed what we were doing."

Ydris heaved a sigh. "I did… and I will. Just not here on deck. Okay?"

"Yeah," Jack agreed tiredly. "I'm not really up to it anyway."

"Why don't you lie down and have some rest?" Ydris suggested, taking off his jacket. "C'mon!" Earnestly he coaxed Jack to stretch out beside him and stuffed his jacket under his head. "You don't need to tell me. Too many times. Rest, Jack. You earned it."

"Did I?"

It astonished Ydris to hear the doubt in Jack's words. "World saved, Captain," he assured him. "So yes, you did."

"Don't feel like it," Jack mumbled sleepily.

"That'll come when you're rested," Ydris murmured, letting his fingers thread through Jack's hair. A moment later the captain was dead to the world.

Noticing that the boat slowed down the Welshman looked up to see the barrage. From there it did not take long until they were far enough out on the sea to dump the octopus's remains. Together with Dylan he emptied the holds and they were swarmed by seagulls that came to get their share. The ship was almost back at the Quay when Jack woke up.

"Why are we berthing again?" the captain asked, confused. "Shouldn't we be going in the other direction?"

"Don't worry," Ydris told him, stroking his back. "Everything's taken care of."

"But…"

"No buts, Jack," he gently scolded. "You don't need to do everything on your own. Now come… unless you plan to stay aboard."

"Nope."

Before they left, though, they helped to moor the boat and Jack went to the bridge to talk with Dylan. Ydris waited on the boardwalk in front of the tourist office and was slightly surprised to see the small ship chug away.

"What?" Jack chuckled at Ydris's sceptical expression.

"Well, I thought Dylan would get tired and, well…"

"You mean you expected me to retcon him."

"To make him forget, yeah."

Jack smirked. "Dylan's good at asking no questions."

"He can count himself lucky that you trust him then."

"Who said anything about trust?" Jack shrugged it off, choosing not to mention the pill he had slipped into Dylan's teapot. He knew how long the man needed to reach his anchorage and that he would make it safely before the drug kicked in.

"You did it again," Ydris groaned.

"So, what now?" Jack cheerfully asked as he unlocked the tourist office. "Wanna stay and help?"

"Are you offering me a job?" the Welshman asked excitedly.

"Temporarily."

Ydris's shoulders sagged. Now why did he even get his hopes up?

"Are you coming?"

Holding the door open Jack gestured Ydris inside and the young man complied. They were cleaning up in the main Hub for another two hours before Jack decided they had enough. First they had a shower and then Jack found a better way to compensate Ydris for his help than simple payment. At least in his point of view. Even though the Welshman never said anything about it Jack assumed that he loved it, too. At least if his squeals and moans were any indication.

*Challenge

xXx

As he did not take his watch with him Ianto did not know how much time had passed since he had left the flat to get breakfast, but he knew that he took a little longer than he had planned due to Mrs. Dillard showing him the room he now had a key for. Still he did not believe that he was away overly long and was taught differently when he rang Owen's doorbell and was stunned by the door flying open and the medic grabbing his sweater and pulling him inside, slamming the door shut.

"Ianto! For God's sake! Where have you been?"

Glowering at Owen for the admonishment Ianto wrenched out of his hold and pushed past the medic into the kitchen area. "I didn't intend to be so long," he groaned. "Just wanted to get some pastries for breakfast."

"And instead you bought the whole bakery?" Owen grunted at the sight of the huge paper bags the younger man was carrying. "You could've left a note."

"I was forced to take all these for free," Ianto chuckled as he dropped the bags on the kitchen counter. "I'm an adult, by the way. I can be trusted to survive on my own for an hour without you."

"I don't know when you've left, Ianto, but it's been three hours since I woke up and found you gone."

"Really?"

Biting his bottom lip Ianto rolled his eyes. He looked so sheepish doing that that Owen could not help but laugh.

"Well, not quite," the medic relented. "But I still was worried. Not because you're not old enough or because you don't know the city, I know you do, but because we just came back from a bad mission. I was about to call the team so we could search for you."

Ianto looked crestfallen.

"Owen, I'm sorry. I came to the bakery and there was a note in the window about a room to let and I went to ask about it…"

"A room? What's wrong with my bed?"

Ianto glanced at the huge bed at the panorama window.

"Nothing. It's comfortable, really," the Welshman shrugged. "But I shouldn't stay here the whole time that I'm temping for Three."

"Well, you'll have to be at the Hub for that," Owen grunted. "Besides, I invited you."

"And I appreciate that," Ianto assured him. "Still I'll prefer my own room, even if it's just for one week." A crooked smile cracked his features. "It has a not so pretty couch in it. Do you have a plaid I could borrow?"

"Actually… no, don't think so."

"Bummer." Turning to a shelf to put two of the pastry bags there, Ianto's gaze fell on a clock. "Three hours, huh?"

"Pardon?"

"You said I was gone for over three hours, Owen," Ianto complained. "Only about one has passed, though."

"Just a little exaggeration," Owen huffed. "Now, show me the pastries you got! I'm hungry!"

xXx

After a belated breakfast Owen and Ianto took the bus into town in order to find Ianto a plaid for the _not so pretty_ couch. Owen could not help but tease Ianto about it even though he had not seen it yet and Ianto ignored him. The Welshman was not picky and bought a simple beige cotton plaid that would do well for the short amount of time that he was going to stay. Neither of them was the type for extended shopping trips, but as Ianto had not been in Cardiff for several years they still strolled around the inner city for a while. At the market hall Ianto bought a couple of Welshcakes. He was chewing on one filled with lemon curd when he found Owen staring at an empty booth.

"Wow," Ianto mumbled around the cake at the sight of the bullet-peppered wall.

"Didn't Jack mention that they were at the market hall the day after the attack?" Owen murmured. "Must've been quite an uproar."

"I wonder what they were up against," Ianto said, turning to leave.

"And I wonder what the cover story is," Owen chuckled, catching up. "Cardiff isn't known for shootouts like this."

On their way back to the bus stop they got a newspaper and skimmed through it in search of Rift related articles. _Unusual animal sighting_ was the first headline they came across. There also was a picture included.

"The transformation of the so called Ghosts was followed by a series of unusual appearances," Ianto read, and trailed off as the bus pulled to a stop. Preceding Owen, he looked for a seat away from the other passengers so they could have some privacy. The only one he could find that did not have anyone seated nearby was to the back of the bus, which was fine, as far as Ianto was concerned, and he did not think Owen would be likely to get carsick.

"At Bute Park witnesses described a pair of unidentified flying animals the size of large birds of prey," Ianto continued once Owen was seated beside him. "Given the proximity to Cardiff Castle the birds are suspected to have escaped from the castle's falconry, but the Castle's spokesman, Hamish Havisham, denies the claims. A pair of off-duty police constables under the direction of a volunteer affiliated with the Welsh Hawking Centre in Barry, attempted to capture the creatures, but to date, there is no report on the results of their efforts."

"Our captain was busy, all right," Owen snickered and had a closer look at the picture that was astonishingly sharp for being taken by nightfall. "That doesn't look like a bird at all."

"No, more like a manta ray," Ianto murmured, already glancing over the next articles. "Here," he pointed one out. "Pack of lizards loose at Cardiff Market."

"...one man killed by the exotic animals which presumably escaped from a pet shop. A special ops team was forced to shoot the reptiles in order to bring the situation under control. An unidentified woman who may have witnessed the attack was admitted to hospital with shock. Suffering from retrograde amnesia…" at that the men exchanged knowing glances, "she could not give a statement to the police."

"Special ops, huh?" Ianto chuckled.

"Yeah, well, as long as they don't write Torchwood," Owen whispered back.

"Given the Rift right through the city I'm surprised that the Institute's not better known here anyway," Ianto mused aloud. "I imagine that it's hard to keep a low profile here, especially after days like these."

"Yeah," Owen sneered, "especially with a boss like Jack."

"If you say so."

Owen laughed. "C'mon, Ianto! Didn't you see enough of his blustering to believe it?"

All Ianto did was shrug. Actually he had encountered a rather pensive and compassionate man. Sure, there had been moments when Jack could not help his extrovert nature and flirted by hook or by crook, but all things considered Ianto tended to believe that Jack was a rather complex and at times introverted person.

"Hey, Ianto," Owen prodded. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ianto said. "Just thinking."

"About Jack?"

Ianto nodded.

"Careful, mate. You don't want to give him the wrong impression." Owen snickered. "We've got to get out here."

They left the bus and went to Ianto's new room.

tbc…


	3. Great Western

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

A/N: Thank you for your nice comments. I'm happy that you're intrigued about Ydris and the role he might be playing. I hope to be able to surprise you. :D Very special thanks once more to my beta reader _mandassina_. Without her the story wouldn't be what it is now. Merry Christmas, everyone! And in case that I can't manage to update again in December… Happy New Year! Enjoy!

**Chapter 3 – Great Western**

"You should've seen it!" Owen laughed. "It's one of those old sofas with pink roses. It's _lovely_!"

"I bet it actually _is_ lovely," Toshiko scolded. "If not Ianto's style."

"Oh?" Suzie cut in. "You're familiar with the Welshman's style?"

"I'm not, but I can tell for sure that pink roses aren't necessarily masculine."

Ianto grinned at the teasing. It was nice to have someone to banter with even though it could not quench his grief.

_I don't think it has really hit home yet,_ Ianto thought. _I was so busy right after Jack freed me and now here in Cardiff. I'm grateful for the chance to participate but it doesn't leave much room for grieving._

First his thoughts drifted to Lisa. Right now her death felt surreal. After shedding the first bitter tears back at their flat it was almost as if he was past all stages of grieving. His logical mind told him that could not be. Still it did not hurt when he thought of Lisa now. There was just a nagging worry that she might not be treated well by UNIT. The same applied to Virginia and everyone else who worked for Torchwood One.

_I wonder when it all will catch up on me. I shouldn't sit here with the others having beer and still feel perfectly right._

"Hey, Welsh Man," Suzie cut into his musings. "Are you still with us?"

All of a sudden Ianto's insides constricted painfully and his throat corded up.

"Please, don't call me that," he hoarsely said.

Suzie appeared to be surprised and about to object, but Toshiko sensed that something really bothered him.

"May I ask why?" she queried.

"My fiancé called me that," Ianto admitted. "She… made it sound like the name of a super hero."

"Sorry," Suzie mumbled.

Owen patted his shoulder. "Shall I get another round?" the medic asked.

"Yeah, one more will be fine," Toshiko agreed and Suzie wordlessly shoved her empty glass to Owen.

"Ianto?"

"Okay," he nodded. "A final one."

While Owen went to get the beverages an awkward silence fell between them. Ianto's gaze was drawn to the monitor where the BBC news channel was running. There were no reports about Canary Wharf, though. Ianto did not know when he had last been at the Great Western pub. That must have been when he still was in school and Cardiff was the _big city_. Once he was finished with school he got as far away from Newport as he could which happened to be London. He always wanted to work in a skyscraper and at times he could feel at Canary Wharf like he was in New York City. No comparison at all to Cardiff and yet the Torchwood branch there seemed far more exotic and exciting. Working with the Rift was totally different to how One was organized after all.

"Tosh, what happened at the market hall?" Ianto asked.

Caught by surprise Toshiko had to ask, "What about it?"

"We were there earlier today and saw the bullet holes," Ianto explained. "In the newspaper they said that a flock of lizards attacked a vendor. Now, what did really happen?"

This time Toshiko smirked. Conspiratorially she leaned forward and murmured, "Jack and the constables chased down a pack of dinosaurs there."

"Dinosaurs?" Suzie gasped. This was news to her as well.

"Yeah. Procompsognathus triassicus if I identified them correctly."

"They're about chicken sized carnivores, right?" Ianto said.

"Ah, another one who watched _Jurassic Park_," Owen cheered as he returned with the drinks. Imitating the actress he breathed, "Can we chance to move him?" With a thump he put the glasses down to imitate the stomp of the T-Rex before he huffed anxiously, "Yes, please chance it."

"Can't you be serious for once?" Ianto hissed. "Sit down and keep your mouth shut."

"Hey, mate! Just a bit of fun," Owen complained but dropped in his chair.

"Yeah, but it failed to be funny." Ianto sipped at his beer.

"You were right, though, Ianto," Toshiko said. "The creatures had already killed a man when Jack arrived at the market hall. With the help of the constables he evacuated and closed the market in order to round the dinosaurs up and eliminate them."

"They're all dead?" Suzie asked.

"Yes," Toshiko nodded. "There was no time to catch them. One alert followed another. The Rift really kept us busy."

"What else did you encounter?" Ianto queried.

"Loads of things." Toshiko drank a bit and searched the right tempo for what she had to tell. "A giant mantis for example. It came through near the stadium. There were blowfishes and the little dinos… and weevils of course."

"Of course," Suzie huffed, grimacing at the thought of the humanoid creatures.

"I collected a couple of spider bots at Rookwood Hospital while Jack was still busy with the dinos, and when we were on our way back a giant octopus fell through the Rift."

"Blimey!" Owen said excitedly. "Wish I could've seen that."

"Chasing the octopus Jack picked up a stray, Ydris, but he was retconned along with the constables," Toshiko told them. Suddenly she chuckled and brought her hand up to keep herself from laughing out loud. "Well, and Constable Andy couldn't keep his hands to himself and put the Bracosian mask on."

"Oh!" Suzie smirked, her gaze drifting to the medic.

"Don't remind me," Owen snarled.

"Why? What's wrong with the mask?" Ianto took his cue.

"It's used for…" Toshiko paused with a laugh. Lowering her voice she then leaned closer to Ianto and whispered, "ritualistic depilation."

"Depilation?"

"Yeah," she chuckled. "All over."

Ianto's eyes grew wide as he looked to Owen and imagined him without any hair. As he was so skinny he would look like one of the Roswell greys - an unusually tall one - a comparison that made Ianto wonder if it really was a good idea to stick with Torchwood if he laughed about that ridiculous idea.

The medic glared at his colleagues.

"Very funny," he growled.

"I bet the constable was pretty shocked," Suzie said.

"Not as shocked as Owen," Toshiko giggled behind her hand. "Remember how quickly he vanished into his med bay?"

Suzie laughed as well. "Like it was yesterday."

"What about the creatures at Bute Park?" Owen demanded in order to change the subject.

"You mean the giant moth?" Toshiko said. "Jack was forced to kill it."

"No, I mean the others that were in the newspaper."

"Really?" Toshiko sighed. "It's near impossible to keep everything under wraps with people having iPhones."

"Actually," Ianto cut in, "the picture was too good to have been made with an iPhone. It's more likely that it was made with an SLR."

"Why, aren't you a clever Dick," Owen teased. "Now what happened to the unidentified flying animals?"

"Flown away," Toshiko shrugged and took another drink. "If they can survive here we might hear about a new species being discovered."

"Will you search for them?" Ianto asked. As he was not familiar with the way Torchwood Three worked he was curious to know what they planned to do about the escaped aliens.

"Well, we'll keep an eye on all news," Toshiko explained, "but we have neither the time nor the manpower to actively search for them."

Ianto nodded thoughtfully. He should have known that. With only the four of them they were busy enough with the everyday madness the Rift threw at them.

Suddenly Toshiko gasped into her beer.

"You know, I just remembered that we have guests in the vaults."

"Another weevil?" Owen sighed.

"No. The constables discovered a female Tasmanian tiger with her pups. I should check on them."

"Tosh, really?" Owen groaned. "Jack gave us the weekend off. Do you really want to go in anyway?"

"On second thought, maybe somebody should check on Jack as well," Ianto threw in. "I mean, we're leaving him alone with the cleanup, aren't we?"

"He gave us the weekend _off_, guys," Owen insisted.

"But Ianto is right," Toshiko relented. "Jack's alone with the mess that is the Hub. There was enough damage after the Cyberattack already, but that octopus topped it off."

"Was it directly in the Hub then?" Suzie asked.

"Yeah. It came up through the tidal basin."

"How did it get in at all?" Owen prodded. "Shouldn't the tunnels be protected?"

"Sure, but Jack wanted to trap the creature there. The plan worked all right… except for the octopus grabbing him and Ydris and pulling them into the bay. I locked the tunnel behind it as Jack had asked and thankfully it came up in the basin. Otherwise we would've lost both men." She trailed off, thoughtfully following the rim of her glass with the tip of her index finger.

"Then he couldn't have gotten me out," Ianto murmured tonelessly into the uncomfortable silence.

"Hey, don't go there," Owen admonished. "We would've found another way."

"Owen's right," Suzie assured him but did not sound convincing.

Another moment of silence followed that offered Ianto time to think. So much had happened today. He went out to get breakfast and got a room in addition. He was in town with Owen to buy a plaid for decoration. He enjoyed Welshcakes. He carried his stuff to the new room and unpacked what little he brought with him. He joined Owen and the girls from Torchwood Three having beer, enjoying the evening.

_What's happening in London right now? Is UNIT taking proper care of the bodies? Is anyone taking care of the survivors? What's Jack doing? There's not just the mess to clean up but there might be an alert as well, and he's alone._

This did not feel right.

"You know," Toshiko said, "just because Jack told us he didn't want to see us before Monday again doesn't make it right. This was a huge crisis. He needs our help."

"Toshiko is right," Ianto agreed. "Either we should be at the Hub, or Jack should be here with us."

"He's not really into team activities like this," Owen shrugged.

"Owen, you're an insensitive git," Ianto snarled, kicking the medic's shin under the table before he got up. "Come on, move your scrawny arse."

Rolling his eyes at the girls' laughter Owen downed the rest of his beer. He had to hurry to catch up to his colleagues, but he had paid for this round and he was going to finish his drink.

tbc…


	4. The big cleanup

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

A/N: Happy New Year everyone! May we all have a creative muse, lots of inspiration, and tons of feedback! :D Thanks to everyone who's reading, commenting, or putting the story on favourites, and especially to my dear beta reader _mandassina_. Enjoy!

**Chapter 4 – The big cleanup**

"I still can't believe that you're actually living here," Ydris said as he brushed glass shards onto his dust pan. "Why don't you have a flat or a house in Cardiff?"

"Why should I when I spend most of my time here anyway?" Jack shrugged.

"Don't you feel the need to get out every now and then?"

At that Jack paused and sank into Owen's chair. It was not as easy as that.

"A flat wouldn't change anything, Ydris. When I feel like getting away I find a calm spot to clear my head."

"Where do you go?"

Jack scowled at Ydris who was still working and certainly did not even notice how much he was prodding.

"You're awfully curious, sweet cheeks," Jack scolded in a salacious tone and with a smirk that could have made the Welshman's legs turn into rubber if he had seen it.

"Huh?" Ydris let the brush sink and turned to look at Jack who now leaned provocatively in the chair. "Oh, just making conversation."

"You're not just making conversation," Jack mildly said, shaking his head. "You're interrogating me."

Ydris laughed. "As if I had any chance of success with it!"

"True," Jack smirked.

When Ydris continued with his task Jack spared another minute to admire the well-rounded silhouette before he also returned to picking up the remains of Owen's workstation. With surprise he dug up the medic's coffee pot that was undamaged and put it into the left container while broken pieces came into the right box. The table could not be saved, but one of the monitors already stood on Suzie's desk and the frame that held the screens could be repaired as well.

"I can help you with the windows and the workstation," Ydris said as if he read Jack's mind. "I tinker around a lot. I can repair those things."

Jack chuckled.

"You're really trying anything, aren't you?" he teased.

"So I could stay?" Ydris asked back. "I'm just offering you my help. I mean, if you brought in craftsmen to repair the windows you would steal their memories, wouldn't you? And you like having me around, don't you?"

"I can't deny that," Jack cheerfully replied.

To be on the safe side he applied himself to the task of cleaning up because otherwise he might have torn the clothes off the Welshman right where he stood. Ydris was definitely more exciting than sorting the mess the octopus made. Knowing that he had to get done sooner rather than later Jack resigned himself to working first. The reward would be even sweeter when they were done.

That was when the proximity alarm blared and the cog door rolled open.

xXx

As Toshiko wanted to show Ianto the entrance where he could get in on Monday morning, Owen dropped her and Ianto off at the Plass before he drove into the underground garage to park. They could enter the Hub from there as well, but Ianto was more likely to come by foot as his bedsit was in walking distance.

Aside from that Ianto preferred to walk and breathe some fresh air. It was good to be outside which he noticed now even more than while he was at the pub. When they passed the water column across the Millennium Centre he noticed the tent and how Toshiko paused for a second to look at it.

"A Cyberman broke through the ceiling there," she told him when he asked. "One of the things we'll have to sort out."

"I see," he murmured. All of a sudden he was not so sure anymore if this was a good idea.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Hm hmmm."

"Ianto?" she prodded, slowing her steps. "Really? Tell me if something's wrong."

Stopping he took a deep breath. So close to the bay the air was salty and even now that it was dark he could hear the seagulls.

"Ianto?"

Gently she put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm okay," he murmured. "I… just became aware that I wouldn't be here without you lot."

Squeezing his shoulder reassuringly Toshiko murmured, "I'm sure UNIT would've gotten you out as well."

Ianto huffed. "UNIT was about to shoot me."

"Oh."

On second thought Toshiko wondered why she was surprised, given her own experiences with the organization.

"Now where's the tourist office?" Ianto asked with fresh determination. It was either that or sinking down on the broad stairs lining the Oval Basin and wallowing in a surge of depression.

"Down there," Toshiko pointed toward the boardwalk. "It's around the corner. Not far, really."

"I know Mermaid Quay, but I never really noticed a tourist office down there. I only know the one in the Millennium Centre."

"That… might be because ours is usually closed," she admitted. "It's a front after all."

"To make it believable you should take care of it, though."

"Probably," she shrugged. "But we usually don't have the time to do so."

"Maybe you should hire someone just for the tourist office then," Ianto suggested.

Toshiko froze in her steps.

"What did I say?" Ianto asked, stopping beside her.

"Nothing," she replied. "It's just that nobody gave it any thought before. I can see where you're coming from, though: A tourist information office that's located in an area well frequented by tourists might raise suspicion. Maybe you should tell Jack about it."

"Okay."

As they approached the subject of their conversation Ianto was even more convinced that it needed taking care of but did not mention it again. Instead he watched how Toshiko entered a keycode and followed her inside. As soon as the door was closed she reached over the counter and a hidden doorway to their right swung open.

"After you," she offered and Ianto stepped through. She led him to the elevator and when they neared a cog door at the end of the tunnel an alarm blared as the entrance rolled open.

"Wow," Ianto muttered as he stepped through the heavy barred gate and let his gaze drift through the main Hub.

"Impressive, right?" Jack cheered as he leaned against the railing on the station floor.

Once more Ianto let his view wander.

"It has that certain indefinable something," he finally said.

"Yep," Jack smirked.

"Such a sewerly charm."

At that Jack's features crumbled. "Why, thank you, Mr. Jones."

"What in bloody hell…!" they were interrupted by Owen's exclamation when the medic came in through the armoury, Suzie right behind him. "Jack! Did you have a party while we were gone?"

"Yes, indeed," Jack huffed, "and the guest of honour was so thrilled that he trashed the venue."

"Now seriously," Owen said as he bounded up the stairs. "What happened to my workstation?"

"Octopus," Jack shrugged.

"You're kidding."

"I told you it was huge," Toshiko cut in, following him upstairs. "But don't worry, Owen. We'll put your station back up in no time. You won't have to do long without it."

"Thanks," he grumbled back, knowing quite well that she teased him about his usual listlessness about writing reports or compiling information.

"Hey, Tosh."

At that she whipped her head around. "Ydris!" Her gaze flicked to Jack who shrugged. "Nice to see you, Ydris. So, you're helping out?"

"Yep."

"That's good. Every extra pair of hands is very welcome." Turning to Ianto, Toshiko introduced, "Ydris, this is Ianto Jones, Torchwood London. Ianto, Ydris is the one who helped Jack with catching the octopus."

"Hello," Ianto nodded at the other Welshman.

Toshiko nudged Ianto's shoulder, "Are you coming with me?"

"Down to the vaults?"

"Yes."

Nodding he started to follow her.

"What's so important about the vaults right now?" Jack asked, disappointed that Ianto would not stay. He really enjoyed the view. The man looked delectable in his jeans and dress shirt.

With a sigh Toshiko explained, "The thylacines need looking after, Jack."

"Oh, right!" Jack was mortified. "I'm sorry. I forgot Gwen insisted on bringing them here. There was so much we had to deal with…"

"It's okay, Jack," she said. "We'll tend to them now."

"We should've brought them something to eat," Ianto said as he walked down the tunnel with her.

"I think there's still some meat left in the fridge," Toshiko assured him. "We always need to store some for the occasional weevil."

"You keep them down there as well?"

"Not right now. The last one we got was killed by a Cyberman."

At the mention of the Cyberman Ianto fell silent. The long tunnel already became oppressing but he refused to cave to his rising anxiety. Hearing steps from behind he turned his head to discover Owen and Ydris, then followed Suzie. Toshiko stepped into a hall with three cells where she found the thylacines in the last one of the row.

"Tosh!" Jack called after her. "I think there actually is…"

It was then that Ianto followed Toshiko inside and jumped sideways when something thumped against the security glass with a roar.

"…a weevil in there," Jack finished his sentence. Turning to Ianto he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Sure," Ianto muttered, his gaze fixed on the humanoid creature. It looked pretty vicious and still there was something sad about it. Standing close to the glass the weevil eyed Ianto with as much interest as the Welshman did. It pulled up its lip to inhale the unfamiliar scents through the holes in the glass wall and growled deeply.

"Will it have to stay?" Ianto asked.

"I don't know what else to do with it," Jack admitted. "Once they're beyond their shyness toward humans they're impossible to control."

"And your solution is to keep them here indefinitely?"

"Um…"

Jack was caught on the wrong foot. Ianto's fresh view on Torchwood Three revealed shortcomings he usually comfortably forgot about. The inconvenient truth was that they did not have much of a choice. They could either lock it up or put it down as it was too dangerous to let it return to its horde into the sewers. They simply knew as good as nothing about weevils so they were incapable of communicating to them that they just had to stay out of the way of humans to be left alone.

"They're cute!" Ydris cheered, squatting down in front of the glass wall. "Look at those pups!"

"She's got enough water," Toshiko stated after a closer look. "I'll get her something to eat."

"Yes, do that," Jack agreed.

"What are you going to do with them?" Ydris asked. "They can't stay here."

"Gwen wanted to ship them to Australia."

"And then what?" Ianto asked. "Just put them there in the wild?

"Yeah."

"Then you should know exactly where you can send them," Ydris said. "The Tasmanian tiger is officially extinct, though sightings are reported every now and then. You can't just put _Australia_ on the crate and let them run there."

"Ydris is right. They need the right environment and they won't find it on the mainland," Ianto agreed. "In Australia the tiger was gone even before the first Europeans settled there."

Jack smirked with irritation.

"We've picked up a walking encyclopaedia," Owen grunted. "Do you also know that there have been attempts to clone the tigers?"

"Unsuccessfully," Ydris cut in. "Even in recent years sightings have been recorded, though. On the mainland as well as in Tasmania. We could choose one of those places to release them."

"And I'm _not_ an encyclopaedia," Ianto huffed.

"You sound like one."

"Anyway," Jack cheerfully said, "could you take care of our tigers?"

"Who, me?" Ydris asked back.

"Yeah, you and Ianto. Could you do that?"

"Sure," Ianto agreed. "I'll get right to it."

"Oh, I'm sure it's not _that_ urgent," Jack chuckled and caught Ianto by the arm as he was about to stride out. "But I love your sense of duty."

"Of course, sir," Ianto automatically replied. "The tigers need to get back to fresh air so we shouldn't waste their time."

"Don't rush it, Ianto. In Australia it's Saturday already after all."

"The tigers don't know that, sir."

"Jack."

Suzie snickered at Jack's flirtatious tone and Owen just rolled his eyes. Captain Jack really was incorrigible.

"Right, that's your name, sir," Ianto replied and winked at Owen. "We can still do some research while the rest of you are cleaning up…, sir."

Shaking his head with disbelief Jack watched the two young men leave the tunnel right when Toshiko returned. The team stayed while she fed the Tasmanian tiger, then they all returned to the main Hub where they found Ianto and Ydris sorting the last remains of the destroyed workstation.

"Now what happened to doing research, Ianto?" Jack teased, just barely able to resist slapping the firm arse in tight jeans that hovered tantalizingly in reach as Ianto bent forward to take a piece of scrap from Ydris.

"Neither of us wanted to turn anything on without your permission, sir."

"Oh, Ianto," Jack could not resist, "you can turn me on whenever you like, with or without my permission."

"Is that the best comeback you have to offer?" Ianto snickered. "And keep your hands to yourself, sir."

Jack, who actually had leaned closer to reach out for the firm rounds, flinched back. Ianto did not turn his head and still stood with his back to Jack. How did he know? Hearing Owen and Suzie laugh did not make the situation any better.

Unnoticed by the others Ydris scowled at the debris. Even though he hardly knew Jack Harkness he could not deny the pang of jealousy that stung his insides when he heard him flirt so blatantly with the other Welshman.

And Ianto, who had seen the captain's reflection in a broken piece of equipment had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing at Jack's confusion as he said, "Now stop staring at my behind and get back to work, sir."

Shaking off his rigour Jack grumbled, "And here I thought my odds for a date with you would rise if you came to Cardiff."

"Keep this behaviour up, sir," Ianto teased, "and your chances are dwindling from low to non existent."

All Jack could do was gape.

"Anyway," Suzie threw in to refocus them, "if we all get busy tonight, we'll get this cleaned up quickly, so we can still enjoy a calm weekend. Let's go, guys!"

tbc…


	5. A hard night

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

**Chapter 5 – A hard night**

"I still can't believe how you talked to Jack," Owen chuckled as they walked down the narrow street along the bay. "I know I told you not to take any crap from him, but, hey, you _really_ have a wicked tongue:"

"We reap what we sow," Ianto shrugged.

Sceptically Owen eyed him from the side. Something in the Welshman's tone told him that there was more to what he was saying.

"What is it?" Owen prodded.

"I shouldn't have done that, Owen," Ianto told him somewhat sheepishly.

He seemed torn which confused Owen. In his opinion Jack needed a strong opposition and that was what Ianto had provided.

"Shouldn't have done what?"

"Talked to him like that," Ianto told him with exasperation. "That was extremely unprofessional."

Owen almost choked on his laughter.

"Don't tell me…" he got out between gasps of laughter, "that you're embarrassed… because you verbally defended yourself."

"I should've been able to put him in his place without getting on his level. He's our boss. There's no excuse for talking to him like that."

Owen was still laughing.

"Owen, I mean it," Ianto huffed and boxed the medic's upper arm before he accelerated his steps. They had almost reached his bedsit.

Catching up on Ianto, Owen took him by the arm to stop him. Even in the scarce street light he could see now that Ianto looked clearly miserable.

"Ianto, what's wrong?" he gently asked. "What's really bothering you?"

"It's like I said," Ianto insisted. "That was unprofessional behaviour."

"Then Jack's to blame as well, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Ianto admitted and tried to escape Owen who would not be so easily shaken off.

"Okay… and what else is wrong?"

Avoiding his gaze Ianto tried to squirm out of Owen's grasp.

"Ianto, I'm your doctor. I won't leave you here on your own if you can't convince me that you're all right."

Suddenly anger filled Ianto's features.

"How can I be all right after what's happened?" he spat with a venom that made Owen realize that he was not talking about his stay in Cardiff. The doctor could not say that he was surprised. He could see how Ianto fought for his composure and especially to keep his voice down when he spoke again, yet still excitedly.

"I forgot, Owen! For a while I forgot my grief! How could I forget? How dare I forget?"

Taking him firmly by both shoulders Owen told him earnestly, "You did _not_ forget, Ianto. Everyone deals differently with grief. Don't expect it to petrify you when it doesn't. That you could banter with us doesn't mean that you're disrespecting anyone's memory. There's a time to grieve, and there's a time to live. Today those lines were blurred, but you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. You did nothing wrong."

"It feels wrong, Owen," Ianto whined. Tears were blurring his sight.

Compassionately Owen squeezed his shoulders. "Shall I stay with you?"

Ianto looked clearly undecided.

"Do you want to come with me? I can sleep on the couch again."

Owen waited, but when Ianto still did not answer he wordlessly took the Welshman by the arm and guided him to the entrance.

"Keys," he commanded and Ianto was too weary to argue. He handed the keys over and Owen let them in.

Upstairs he had to shove the Welshman into the bathroom. It took a while until he was ready. After Owen had tucked Ianto up in bed he sank down on the couch and used the new plaid as a blanket. He listened to Ianto's low sobs until the Welshman had cried himself to sleep. Only then he found sleep as well.

xXx

In another part of Cardiff someone else lay awake. Slowly but surely the fact that Torchwood One was destroyed sank in and despite Jack's reassurances Toshiko could not help but worry about her contract.

_He said I'd have to stay five years with Torchwood. If they close the Institute for good they might get the idea to say that I didn't meet the conditions of my release. What then? Would they force me to return to prison?_

She choked at that idea.

_I can't go back to that place! I'd go mad! Torchwood is dangerous, true, but I'm not locked up. It's challenging work and the others are nice. I could've hit it worse._

Somewhere at the back of her mind a small voice whispered to her that she could have died during the invasion. She quickly silenced it by stating firmly that she could have died anywhere else as well when the Ghosts turned into Cybermen. She could have been shot. She could have been converted. She could have had an accident.

She helped to solve the crisis.

_I can be proud to belong to Jack's team. We're doing an important job._

Memories of the last two days haunted her, images flashing in front of her inner eye as soon as she tried to rest. She turned onto the other side and struggled to find a comfortable position. For a few seconds she believed that she could finally drift off to sleep before the unmistakable feeling that the Rift was going to erupt startled her once more.

_The Rift was so volatile after the Cybermen came through. Why should it stay calm now? I shouldn't be in bed when an alert could come in any minute._

She sighed.

_Maybe it'll be all over soon. When UNIT takes over we all can search for a new job. How much authority will Jack have then?_

A chill ran down her spine.

_No, Tosh. Don't go there. Jack said they wouldn't dare to do that. UNIT won't take over guarding the Rift. They have enough on their hands as it is._

Turning once more she bunched up her pillow.

_I need to have faith in Jack and wait. They won't rush the matter as long as more pressing things demand their attention. The crisis is barely over and we all need to deal with the aftermath. It'll take time to tend to everything._

This time she twisted onto her back. Staring at the ceiling she forced herself to feel optimistic. She trusted Jack. Everything would turn out all right.

In the end her body shut down with sheer exhaustion.

xXx

Being with Jack was different to everything Ydris had experienced before. The captain could be as tender and loving as he was brash and wild. Being treated to soft caresses and kisses he could not help but wonder for a fleeting second if his team knew about the soft core under the tough exterior. Just as quickly as the thought occurred it was gone again, dissolving in an eruption of sensations.

When he fell asleep Ydris could not recall, but when he woke up the space at his side was vacated. Groaning he searched for his watch and found that it still was in the wee small hours.

"Jack?"

Usually he would assume that his lover went to the bathroom or got something to drink, but as he realized with a start that was not the case with Jack. The captain could have many reasons for leaving their bed that ranged from the aforementioned to much more ominous causes. Did he have reason to assume that the captain ran out on him? Yes, he did. As they were at the Hub, though, Ydris could also imagine that Jack had to react to an alert or something.

_Though I would have noticed an alert, wouldn't I?_

From above he heard the scraping of a chair and footsteps. Jack was in the office, getting up from his desk.

_Still surprised how easily I fell into bed with Jack._ Ydris scratched the back of his neck. _Sure, I've experimented before, so I wasn't exactly a blushing virgin, but still that doesn't explain it._

And that was not the only thing that astonished him. With irritation he realized that he felt jealous when Jack showed interest in someone else… which he did with quite a flourish when Ianto showed up at the Hub.

_I have no idea why I feel so possessive. It's not like we're in a relationship or anything. We met, shite, only two days ago._

Now that he thought about it Ydris realized that Ianto was not the only one the captain had flirted with. Whenever a line invited it he would come back with a double entendre or a downright challenge. For Jack flirting seemed to be the default setting.

Ydris recognized that he did not like it.

_Who am I kidding? I'm no more than a one-night stand. Well, rather a two-night stand. Or better yet a day-and-night stand._

He sighed.

_His love-making isn't shallow, though. He was cautious and tender, unselfish, made me feel cherished. Can't say that about many people._

His stomach grumbled, reminding him that they did not think of having dinner between work and sex.

_What the hell am I doing?_

Turning onto his other side he tried to ignore the nagging feeling.

_Maybe __I__ should think it through. The dashing captain __isn't__ the type for a long-term relationship. He __won't__ hire __me__ either. __I'm fooling myself if I believe otherwise.__ Maybe __I__ should pull the ripcord and stop this madness before __I get__myself__ in too deep._

After leaving the constables the other morning he went to a pub to have some breakfast. During a long walk he tried to clear his head, but in the end he found himself down at Mermaid Quay. He called in sick at work and waited for any sign of Jack Harkness.

_I practically hunted him down. N__ow look where it got me._

Despite his intention to do so, he could not regret it. Hearing voices from above he pushed back the covers and got up.

xXx

Captain Jack Harkness felt neither dashing nor flirtatious as he sat deeply in his leather executive chair, watching CCTV recordings Toshiko had downloaded from Torchwood One's system. At first the load of material hd discouraged him, but then he made sense of the coding and discovered the videos taken down in the sphere chamber.

The sound was hit and miss. Toshiko had been lucky to save the images, but Jack could remember silent movies, and when the sound went out, he could interpret what happened from people's facial expressions and body language.

The man in the brown striped suit and trainers with the unruly hair did not look familiar at all. Still, even if Rajesh had not approached him with admiration, Jack would have recognized him at once by the way he gazed at the sphere. The shockingly blonde woman who came in with the others asked what that thing was and was told by Yvonne that she had no idea.

_I haven't seen her before, but still she seems familiar._

His gaze drifted back to the Doctor. An aura of tense curiosity surrounded the Time Lord as he suddenly darted forward and up the stairs and put on coloured glasses.

_I think I know why she looks familiar. She looks like Rose. Sweet Rose. Did so much time pass since your last visit here? How old is she? In her forties, now? Wow._

He felt a flash of bitter resentment that she had been granted the opportunity to grow old with the Doctor while he had been condemned to perpetual life and youth and then abandoned.

_I shouldn't blame her. She probably didn't have any say in the matter._

'_My ship, my rules,'_ he heard his Doctor say in his memory.

"But I didn't even know I was breaking them," Jack whispered, and to block the tears that were rising in his throat, he downed the rest of his glass of brandy.

Despite the warming effects of the liquor, chills ran down Jack's spine when he heard the Doctor talk about the void ship, confirming his suspicions. Now he was certain that the Doctor had sent the Daleks and Cybermen back into what he called the Void. How exactly he had done it was irrelevant. Jack knew the Doctor and how he solved the most precarious situations. He did not need to see it to believe it.

Still he felt the urge to watch more of the CCTV feeds. Why he tortured himself with searching the recordings for appearances of the Doctor he could not tell. Having missed him was hard enough as it was. Watching him do what he did best only made it worse.

The glass of brandy that Jack had emptied was not the first one and it would not be the last. Of course he knew that alcohol was no solution, but when sex did not help he had to try other options.

_And it's not Ydris's fault that it didn't work out for me. He was oh so willing! Much too willing to be exact._ Groaning he rubbed the back of his neck. He was sore all over. _I wasn't man enough to turn him down. Worse even, I took advantage of him._

Pouring and slugging back yet another glass of brandy Jack tried to drown his sudden repulsion.

_Didn't I change one bit? Am I still the same selfish shit that went around shagging everyone and everything just for my own pleasure?_

Once more he reached for the bottle. This time he realized what he held in hand. It had been a gift to Alex from a grateful traveller they had been able to help, a handcrafted bottle of fine old brandy that had become part of Jack's inheritance at the turn of the millennium. He should have saved it for a special occasion, shared it with friends, sipping it from a snifter warmed in the palm of his hand to release the aromatic compounds and enhance the flavour. Instead he was slugging it back like cheap moonshine in order to get drunk as fast as possible.

'_Really? That's how you want to handle this?'_ his Doctor's voice challenged him.

_Shut up,_ Jack thought. _You only get to talk to me in person._

Even disgusted by himself as he was, he could not stop himself from refilling his water glass and lifting it to his lips, barely taking time to taste the fine liquor as he poured it down his gullet and hoped that it would be enough to numb his sensibilities.

Jack found a video showing a young dark skinned woman and a Caucasian man who went into the construction area that later turned out to be the conversion chambers. They were obviously flirting and for a second Jack smirked wryly at their smitten behaviour.

_Can't even remember when I last felt those butterflies in my stomach. It's all gotten so dull. Grey. Uniform. No tension. No surprises…__ If I didn't crave the company, I could do just as well for myself._

When the young couple showed up again their manners had changed. They appeared rather stiff and wooden as they marched down the hall and Jack felt his stomach churn, realizing that those two had to be among the first victims.

With the realization came the desire for more alcohol and he complied readily. Searching for other videos Jack poured himself another shot of brandy. One more glass and the bottle would be empty. He would have to leave his desk and get more. With a sigh he raised the glass to his lips and let the brandy burn its way down. Clicking on the next file with his right hand he poured the preliminary last glass with his left. The alcohol had not produced the desired effect on him yet.

There was another clip from within the sphere chamber and Jack did a double take, quickly stopping the fast forward and going back a few minutes to watch it again.

"Mickey."

And then there was Rose. She looked just as she had when he last saw her.

_Then who's the other__ blonde__ woman? Who…? Oh! She must be Rose's mum! Now, why would the Doctor travel with her mother?_

'_Don't you mean why would I leave you behind?'_ The Doctor in his mind still had the northern accent of the man who had showed up in World War II London dressed as a U-Boat captain.

"I said shut up," Jack growled quietly.

_I've asked myself that often enough. You don't get to torture me with it unless you're here to answer it._

Confusion filled him for a fleeting moment until he watched the sphere open and his heart skipped a beat when the Daleks came out. His insides constricted painfully but he had to keep watching. He had to know what happened to Rose.

'_Oh, come on, Jack!'_ his Doctor's voice prodded._ 'If I'm in your head asking, the answer must be kicking around in here somewhere, too.'_

The recording ended.

_No!_

Jack could not even express his horror. As bad as it was to watch, it was even worse not to know what happened. Did Rose get away? Did the Doctor save her?

He downed the brandy.

It hardly burnt anymore. It just slipped past the lump in his throat and soaked the dumpling of self-pity that sat in his stomach and grew with every gulp of liquor that Jack downed. His insides constricted around the enormous ball of hurt and made him even more sore.

The sight of the empty bottle made Jack feel hollow. Having no other means to fill the empty space he pushed his chair back to get up and search for more alcohol. There had to be another bottle of brandy in the cupboard and if there was no brandy then there would be whiskey.

_Old whiskey. At least twelve years old, most likely older._

'_What a waste,'_ his Doctor lamented.

_Yeah,_ Jack agreed. _It's good stuff._

'_Wasn't talking about the whiskey.'_

"Thought I told you to shut the hell up," Jack slurred.

With a full bottle of Glenmorangie he returned to his desk and started to fast forward the CCTV feed again. The whiskey burned more than the brandy.

_There!_

There he was, the Doctor, slouching in a chair opposite Yvonne Hartman. Their conversation was interrupted and Yvonne jumped up, demanding to know why they were going into ghost shift. A moment later the video ended.

"No…" Jack groaned.

This time he did not bother to pour a drink and lifted the bottle instead. Taking two big gulps was a mistake and he coughed violently. A second later he was choking, liquid shooting back up into his throat and he clapped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from spewing. Reflexively he tried to gulp it down again as he frantically turned to the bin. He managed to keep the liquor in but felt even more horrible now.

'_Maybe now would be a good time to switch to tea, Jack,'_ his Doctor's voice admonished gently.

_Play naïve all you want,_ Jack thought back at him as he reached for the bottle desperately, clinging to it like a drowning man, and drinking again to make the ghost of his past go away. _You know very well what I'm trying to do, and it's your fault!_

When the voice did not respond, he spoke aloud.

"I said, it's your fault!"

_He waited a moment, but still got no answer. The Doctor had left him. Again._

"Coward," Jack grumbled, and gulped some more whiskey.

_You didn't care when you left me behind on that damn game station! Leaving me in this… state. What did you do to me? Turning me into an abomination! __First I thought coming back was my curse, but, no! The worst part is knowing that I haven't changed, haven't learned, that I'm still the same selfish jerk you met all those years ago, and if Ydris were here and willing, I'd use him all over again._

A burp escaped him, rolling and rumbling over his lips in a long flow of noises.

'Now that's attractive,' came the dry comment in his mind.

"Bugger off," Jack muttered, took another slug of whiskey, and belched again, just for spite.

_Is this__ your way of punishing me? I knew you had a wicked sense of humour but this is just cruel, making me believe I could be so much more, bigger on the inside, you called it, and then cursing me with more than enough time to realize and regret all the bad things I've ever done… generally being a terrible person… you knew and you… did __**this**__!_

He drank again, long and deep.

"Bastard!" he whispered fiercely, and he was not sure anymore whether he was still talking to his Doctor or to himself.

"Hey, who are you talking to?"

Startled, Jack put the bottle down. His slightly unsteady gaze turned to the hole in the office floor where Ydris climbed off the ladder.

"No one," he slurred. Judging by the younger man's shocked expression he must be more drunk than he thought. "What do _you_ want?"

"Nothing," Ydris said. "I… just woke up and heard you up here. Thought I'd check what you're doing."

Jack sneered. "And you got fully dressed just to do that?" When he left his lover he was in bed, naked. Who gave him permission to get up and leave when Jack wanted to screw him so hard that he forgot his own name? He should get up and tear off the Welshman's clothes.

"No, I'm hungry," Ydris replied, unapologetically. "I wanted to get us something to eat." Eyeing Jack closely he added, "Looks like you need a hearty meal."

"You don't have to tell me what I need!" Jack barked. "What gives you that idea?"

"Just friendly advice."

At that Jack shot up from his seat and the crystal tumbler that was in his reach flew past Ydris to shatter on the wall. "I don't need your advice! Leave me alone!"

The young man was about to argue but thought better of it. Grabbing his jacket from the coat rack he wordlessly left the office and the Hub.

Jack watched him go and never thought to call him back. In his leaving, Ydris had given him the answer that the voice in his mind could not.

With a groan Jack plonked back down in his chair. Not without grabbing the bottle, though. It would bring him oblivion, at least for a short while.

tbc…


	6. Tense conversations

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

A/N: Thank you very much for your feedback that already was a source of inspiration. Sorry that it took longer to get chapter 6 ready for posting. That happens when I'm posting as I'm writing… Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

I don't get tired of thanking my lovely beta _mandassina_. You rock!

**Chapter 6 – ****Tense conversations**

The horrible stench assaulting his nose was the first thing Jack noticed when he woke on the concrete floor of his office. Lifting his head was an effort as was opening his eyes. Seeing the mess he made did not help his sour mood. Suspecting that he had died choking on his own vomit almost turned his stomach again. It was just as likely as simply waking up after an exhausted sleep and he could not rule it out. Slowly memory returned and he fought to get up.

"Ydris?" he called, stumbling over to the hole leading to his room.

No answer was forthcoming. Scowling Jack tried to recall if he just imagined the young man's company. No, they had cleaned up together and Ydris stayed after the team had left. They had awe-inspiring sex. Then his memory became foggy.

_I went to watch CCTV after he fell asleep._

Flashbacks of the night hit him, making Jack search for the bottle. Finding it empty he tossed it aside, his feeble motion just sending the sturdy glass rolling and clonking against the wall. Searching for more alcohol Jack crawled to his desk, but the bottles he found there were empty as well. Groaning he sagged on the floor, feeling thoroughly miserable. A single thought of the Doctor was enough now to push him over the edge and he started to cry.

A soft touch against his forehead startled him.

"Yvonne!"

The calico cat snuggled up against him and let him pet her. Whenever his desperate caresses went too far she meowed and squirmed, once she had to claw at Jack to keep him in line, but she never went away.

Jack was terribly grateful to her for that.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," he murmured into her fur. "I'm a pain to live with."

Purring in response she squirmed into a comfortable position and stayed there while he caressed her stomach.

Thinking he heard it growl Jack asked, "Are you hungry, sweetie? Wait, I'll get you something."

Caring for the wellbeing of the cat who claimed him as her human put the mess he made into a new perspective. Disgusted by himself Jack went to get bucket and mop. While he cleaned up he reflected on last night's demons, his conversation with the Brigadier, and the events surrounding the Cyberinvasion. The fact that he had missed the Doctor still lay like a rock in his stomach, making him ache from the inside out.

_But there've also been good things,_ he realized. _As Alistair's said, I'm free, and he's also right with his assessment of what's expected from me._

He had thought that he came to grips with it, but waking in his own puke taught him differently and he suspected that it would take some time to get really used to the idea of taking over the leadership of Torchwood.

_There's no way I'm going to rebuild One like it was. I'd sooner close it for good. I'll have my hands full with just Three and Two, even though Archie's not actually difficult, just weird in some ways. Yeah, Torchwood should be much smaller. We should have only as many agents as are needed to guard the Rift._

That thought confronted him with a problem he had racked his mind over before: How many agents did they need to properly guard the Rift? Recent events had shown that it was really, really hard with just the four of them. True, Suzie, Toshiko, and Owen were brilliant, loyal, and courageous, but they were only three people. Jack knew there had been situations before where they could have done with some support, and the Rift going volatile after the Cyberinvasion was just another example. They had been lucky to get through everything relatively unscathed, but the truth was that Jack should rethink his _no job vacancies_ routine.

_Toshiko said Ydris would be an asset,_ he recalled. _I didn't even give it a second thought. Yes, I like having him around, but that doesn't mean that I should hire him. Maybe I should have a look at his CV._

Thinking of Ydris made Jack aware that he had chased the young man away.

_He probably won't want to have anything to do with me anymore. No surprise there if I'm being such a bastard._

As he went through the main Hub to the tunnel leading to the bathrooms Jack noticed how empty the base was. Due to his insistence the team stayed at home, having the weekend off as he had ordered.

_And Ydris won't come back. Heck, even if he would he couldn't get in._

With a sigh Jack continued to the bathroom to take a scalding shower, but even when the hot water was streaming down his body he was still shivering. His legs felt wobbly and he sank down on the tiled floor. There he sat, hugging his legs to his chest, the hot stream of water drowning out his sobs.

xXx

When he woke up Ianto felt surprisingly rested. Only when he stood under the shower and the hot water was streaming down on him the latest events caught up on him and sent shivers down his spine. Gasping for breath he leaned against the wall. He needed a moment to compose himself before he was able to wash off the shower gel and could turn the water off. Climbing out of the shower he reached for a big towel and dried himself off.

Returning to the other room to find himself fresh clothes Ianto found someone snoring on the sofa.

"Owen?"

Grunting the medic rolled over.

"Owen, what are you doing here?" Ianto prodded, nudging the doctor's shoulder. "C'mon! Wake up!"

"Wha…?"

"What… are you doing here?" Ianto repeated.

Squinting up at the Welshman, Owen grunted, "What did I do to earn this sight right after waking?"

Becoming conscious of his nakedness Ianto grimaced. "You didn't answer my question, Owen. What are you doing here?"

"Sleeping. Well, I _was_ sleeping anyway," the medic groaned. "You weren't in good shape last night, so I stayed over to make sure you'll be all right."

"I told you before, I don't need a babysitter."

"Hey, I just kept you company!" Owen complained.

Still scowling deeply Ianto decided to stop arguing as neither of them could win.

"How late is it anyway?" Owen whined.

Checking his watch Ianto replied, "About half past ten."

Groaning the medic rolled onto the other side.

"Hey, we already slept in," Ianto smirked and grabbed some underwear. "You should get up."

"Too early for a Saturday," Owen grunted.

"It's almost noon."

Craning his neck as he did not want to move Owen grimaced at the Welshman. "You know all that shit about the early bird gets the worm?"  
"Yeah. What about it?"  
"You can have my share. I don't fancy worms for breakfast."

"And I don't fancy a slugabed occupying my sofa," Ianto teased as he put on his jeans. "C'mon! Get up!"

"Hey! Don't push! I'm sensitive."

At that Ianto laughed out loud. "Stop kidding and get up!"

Finally Owen swung his legs over the edge of the sofa where he sat for a moment, slumped, ruffling his hair. Blinking a few times he focused on Ianto who was fully dressed now in jeans and a casual dress shirt, and putting on his trainers.

"What are you up to?" the medic queried.

"Organizing things," Ianto told him evasively. Mostly because he was not certain yet what he wanted to sort and how.

"Oh?" Owen stretched his stiff muscles. "Thought we could have a lazy day. We have the weekend off after all."

"Go ahead if you like," Ianto shrugged. "Just don't do it on my sofa."

"_Your_ sofa?"

"For as long as I'm renting this room… yes, it's _my_ sofa. Now get up!"

Realizing that the Welshman was serious Owen finally stood and padded to the bathroom. When he returned a few minutes later Ianto was reclining on the sofa, engrossed in a book.

"Thought you were against a lazy day," Owen teased.

"Just killing time," Ianto murmured without looking up from his reading.

Pushing against the book in Ianto's hands to get a better view, Owen glanced at the title.

"_Live and let die_," he chuckled. "I should've known. Why aren't you with MI6 if you love Bond so much?"

"Too much excitement."

Laughing heartily at the Welshman's wry humour Owen remarked, "You're right, Ianto. Compared with MI6, Torchwood is horribly boring."

"It's not that funny," Ianto spat.

"Hey, you started it."

"No, I was just reading a novel." Putting the book forcefully down Ianto got up. "I'd like to have some space, Owen. Please, leave me alone."

"I don't think that…"

"Right," Ianto cut him short. "Don't bother. Just go home, okay?"

"Look, I'm just trying to support you, mate."

"Fine, then support my independence, please." Pointing at the door he added, "Out! Now!"

"You don't have to get abusive," Owen snarled.

Rummaging through his pockets for a pen, he found a stubby pencil instead and scrawled his number on a box flap.

"I'll go, but you call me this evening between five and eight," he said. "You're still Torchwood, so I'm, still your doctor, and as far as I'm concerned, I haven't released you from my care, got it?"

"Understood," Ianto bit out. "Now please, go."

Grudgingly Owen grabbed his jacket and left.

As soon as the door fell shut behind the doctor Ianto sank heavily onto the sofa. He was on his own. Exactly as he wanted to be. Now he just had to figure out what he wanted to do with his liberty.

xXx

Once he regained his equilibrium Jack busied himself with unloading the truck. The magna clamps served him well for that task whenever an artefact did not fit into the cart. Still he wheeled down to the archives numerous times as well before he decided to take a break. Returning a last time to the lorry Jack gathered the box with the little coral. Just when he entered his office the telephone rang and he put the box on the tabletop before he picked up the receiver.

"Alistair!" Jack said with honest pleasure at hearing the Brigadier's voice. Of course he knew that the conversation had the potential to become unpleasant, so he was glad that it was not Mace who was on the phone. Suppressing a chuckle at his memories of the Brigadier calling the Colonel a prat, Jack cordially asked, "What can I do for you?"

"The better question would be what can _I_ do for _you_," the Brigadier replied. "So far we could identify thirty-two of the bodies we have recovered. The two you've asked about are among them."

"Thank you," Jack managed to rasp. Suddenly his mouth was dry. "How many victims did you find in the end?"

"Inside the tower one hundred and seventy-three dead were found. Twenty-seven partially converted victims were euthanized. Forty-three escaped and were kept at the Millennium Dome until your agents took care of assuring the discretion of the thirty-nine civilians."

Jack could not help his chuckle.

"The four remaining Torchwood agents are currently residing at our headquarters," the Brigadier continued, his tone becoming more serious. "We should meet and discuss further actions, Jack. You'll have to make some decisions. Your agents can't stay in our custody indefinitely. You're in charge of them, Jack."

Unfortunately the Brigadier was right. Jack felt the responsibility weigh heavily on his shoulders. The problem was that he did not want to have anything to do with Torchwood One. He desperately wished he could refuse the legacy.

"Jack? Are you still there?"

"Listening to you," he flatly said.

Of course the Brigadier picked up on the lack of enthusiasm. "I can't tell you what to do, Jack. All I can do is encourage you. I know you're capable of leading the Institute. I'm just waiting to see you do it." As a snort was his sole reply he went on, "How can we help, Jack? The identified victims who can be released for the funeral will have to be prepared. We can do that for you and help you organize the ceremony. Is there a special honours service that you do when one of your own dies in the line of duty?"

Confused Jack had to think for a moment before he told him, "There are no special honours. If someone dies in service and his death is suspected to be due to alien causes it is customary at Torchwood to store the body and all of his possession are to be impounded by the Institute until the cause of death is determined and any potential threat to the planet assessed and eliminated." For just a second Jack realized how indifferent and callous he sounded but explained nevertheless, "Once the body can be released it will be incinerated."

When he paused the line remained silent.

"I don't know what to say to that, Jack. I can't judge you because I know you didn't make the policy. I don't know how your people deal with death, so I don't know what you might think of it, but you've lived here long enough to know the kinds of things we usually do. Do you want to change things?"

"I... Yes, I do, but I can't think about it, I can't cope with it right now, Alistair," Jack stammered. "It's all I can manage to clean up the sheer physical mess in my facility at the moment. You say you can't tell me what to do, but that's exactly what I need! I'm lost here! I'm drowning, and if you aren't going to bail me out, then _please_, just leave me alone for a while!"

"You**'**re not alone, Jack, and if you were, I never would have sent you back to Cardiff by yourself," the Brigadier reminded him. "You have the team that came with you to London, and you might find the Torchwood survivors we have here to be helpful. UNIT can keep the bodies in cold storage for a couple of weeks, give you time to get your feet under you again. You might consider contacting Sarah Jane Smith to write a funeral service that is both relevant to Torchwood and vague enough to be suitable for civilian friends and family. Unless you have anything else you need to discuss with me, I think I should say goodbye now."

Jack sighed. "I'm sorry, Alistair," he said.

"You don't need to apologize, my boy," the Brig sounded infinitely understanding. "But do give some thought to what you want to do with your Torchwood survivors here. I'm going to call you back in exactly forty-eight hours, and if you don't take my call, I'm coming to Cardiff myself."

"What state are the survivors in?" Jack asked.

"Those we kept at the Dome were not wounded or had only minor injuries. Your agents are in good condition. There were… twenty-three more who were taken to hospital," the Brigadier read from his notes. "Two of them did not pull through, five others are in critical condition…"

"What is it, Alistair?" Jack prodded when his friend trailed off.

"This report doesn't contain the information if any of the more severely injured belong to your personnel," the Brigadier explained. "I will check on that and let you know when we talk again."

"Thank you," Jack all but sighed. "Um… I'll take care of making room in the budget to help cover the… final expenses." He paused before he hesitantly asked, "Who will you appoint to arrange the funerals?

After only a moment's hesitation the Brigadier firmly replied, "Anyone but Colonel Mace… who has more important things to do anyway."

Jack could hear amusement lace the latter words and smiled.

"Thank you, Alistair."

"You're welcome, Jack. We'll talk in forty-eight hours."

"Yes, sir," Jack playfully agreed. He could almost hear the Brigadier's smile before the call disconnected. For a moment he just sat and let the conversation sink in. There was so much to consider and he was not sure if he could handle it all.

_I should ask Suzie to take care of the budget. She's good at that stuff. And maybe Ianto could help me to get a grip on One's customs. I should do… something. No idea yet what that should be. I won't take any of the employees over, though. They've got One's philosophy too ingrained in their systems. I don't want them to poison the atmosphere here._

By extension that made him think about Ianto's possible future.

_I can tell that Ianto Jones is different. He was a big help and proved to be trustworthy. Aside from that I still think he's gorgeous. He's no easy prey, though, and Owen seems to be perfectly right when he says that the Welsh boy is looking right through me where my amorous intentions are concerned._

He chuckled.

_I'll put the next week to good use with courting and then we'll see. I could imagine offering Ianto a permanent position here but I should wait and see how things develop. At One, right after the invasion, we all were in a unique situation. I need to watch closely how the team gets along on the daily routine._

The part of him that found Ianto Jones terribly attractive hoped that they worked together well on an everyday basis, too. But even then he had to give the man enough leeway to make his own decision. Maybe he did not want to stay. Jack thought that that would be a horrible waste of talent, but he intended not to stand in his way if he actually chose to leave Torchwood for good.

Musing about those things Jack got up and opened the box on his desk.

_Now, where's the best place for you?_

Lovingly he looked at the coral in the paper padding he had made to protect it on the ride to Cardiff.

"Right on my desk would be fine," he thought out loud and was about to lift the coral out of its bed when the phone rang again. With a sigh Jack dropped back into his chair and grabbed the receiver. Back to business.

"Harkness."

tbc…


	7. Spontaneous decisions

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

**Chapter 7 – ****Spontaneous decisions**

"Jones," Ianto said reflexively when Jack answered his call.

"Jones who?" the captain asked only to add with joyful recognition, "Ianto! What's up?"

"I'm on my way to London, sir," Ianto told him and could have sworn he heard his boss gasp. "Just wanted to let you know."

"I thought you'd stay," Jack replied, sounding crestfallen.

"I'll be back tomorrow night," Ianto explained. "I just… need to sort some things."

"All right," Jack agreed with obvious relief.

There was a pause, but Ianto was pretty certain that there was more to come, so he waited.

"Ianto…"

"Yes, sir?"

"UNIT informed me that they identified Lisa and Virginia. They will remain with UNIT until they can be released for funeral. Do you want to make the arrangements?"

Ianto did not need to think long about that. "Yes, sir. Who's my contact at UNIT?"

"To my knowledge nobody was appointed yet. I'll let you know as soon as I do."

"All right, sir. Anything else?"

"Well…" another pause followed, "there's something I'd like you to think about."

"Which is?"

"Can you imagine helping me with handling the survivors?"

Stunned Ianto muttered, "Like doing what?"

"You said all personnel would report in after the crisis. Then there are the survivors who escaped the tower, like Carlie. When I know what will become of One I'll have to deal with them. I'd like to make you… the interim director of personnel… or something like that."

This time Ianto could not answer at once.

"I hope I'm not asking too much, Ianto. Will you think about it?" Jack asked hopefully.

Ianto really was not sure if he could handle the other survivors, but he knew that someone had to wrap up everything that was One and he could imagine that the extra workload would put a strain on the small team at Three. Now Jack had not downright ordered but asked him politely. He could at least give it some thought so he finally said, "Yeah, I'll think about it."

"Thank you, Ianto."

The Welshman could not help but think that the captain sounded relieved but also somewhat anxious so he felt compelled to ask, "Is everything all right, sir?"

After a short pause Jack claimed, "Yes. Yes, I'm fine. The Hub's almost recognizable as such as well. Now if the Rift will stay calm for a bit everything will be okay."

"Good," Ianto said. "I'll see you on Monday morning then, sir."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you," Jack replied and sounded a little more cheerful at the prospect. "Maybe I can invite you for a drink later?"

"That would hardly be appropriate, sir."

"There's nothing wrong with having a drink together," Jack huffed and Ianto could clearly hear the pout in it. "Are my odds for a date with you really so low?"

"About fifteen percent, sir," Ianto told him matter of factly. "But I don't think that I'll have time to go anywhere but the Hub anyway, if I'm going to agree to be your interim director of personnel."

"That almost sounds like a yes to me."

"It means that I'm taking it into consideration," Ianto curbed Jack's enthusiasm. "Besides, I don't have an overview yet of how many artefacts will have to be integrated into your archives. I assume that I'll be rather busy on Monday."

"Well…" Jack drawled in a seductive tone, "as I'm your boss I could order you to stop working."

"Which would be unfair toward the rest of the team," Ianto stated without showing any reaction to the subtext. "Is there anything else, sir?"

"No," Jack had to admit.

"All right. Until Monday, sir."

"Bye, Ianto."

Quickly Ianto disconnected the call. He did not like the sad note in Jack's voice that he could just interpret as neediness. It made him uncomfortable. He hardly knew the man and still there seemed to be a connection between them that he could not explain. The way Jack reacted to it, taking it as an encouragement to pursue his courting, gave him the creeps.

His gaze drifted out of the window just when the train crossed the bridge over the Severn. The day was cold and cloudy and Ianto was glad that he did not have to drive himself. Which reminded him that he needed to get a new driving license as the old one was destroyed along with his clothes by the conversion unit.

_Hope I'll get an opportunity on Monday._

With a sigh he returned his attention to the landscape. Crossing the Severn the train had left Wales and took him further away from Newport. Which was why Ianto was on this train in the first place. He honestly had wanted to go and see his sister, but when he approached Newport his resolve crumbled. His anxiety got the better of him and he chickened out, climbing back on a train instead.

Right now he was looking forward to returning to his flat but he feared that his mood could switch again. It was pretty erratic lately, ranging from the top of the world to the depths of despair. It unsettled him to say the least. Knowing that those mood swings were an after effect of his ordeal and part of his grieving did not help as long as that knowledge did not provide a solution to the problem.

Ianto suspected that his edginess was one more reason why he did not go to see his sister as planned. He simply did not think that he could deal with her on top of everything else. She would ask about Lisa, about his job, about the attack, about how he escaped, about his new colleagues… and he would not be able to talk to her about any of it without lying. That would make their conversation rather awkward and Ianto did not believe himself to be capable of having an awkward talk with Rhiannon right now. Their relationship was strained as it was. He did not need further complications like an alien invasion to put further stress on it.

Pushing those thoughts aside Ianto tried to imagine what he would have to do as an interim director of personnel. Of course he needed to find out who survived but that was one of their priorities anyway. He was not under the impression that Jack planned to rebuild One or to transfer any personnel to Cardiff. So the question was how they would leave Torchwood which left Ianto with the idea that Jack might insist on retconning them all, stealing their memories of serving Torchwood. He knew that he would not participate in that.

Mulling over those questions he kept staring out of the window. It started to rain. The steady rhythm of the patter against the glass and the rumbling of the train lulled Ianto to sleep.

xXx

Ianto's call left Jack with mixed emotions. His first impulse was to be disappointed, but as he thought about what Ianto had said he felt a new surge of enthusiasm. The Welshman did decline his offer, but he had not downright said no. To Jack anything less meant that he still was part of the game. With fifteen percent his chances were slim but still existent. He would work on his charm and improve his odds.

His intention to better himself made Jack aware that he had more issues to solve. Taking a pen and paper he started to make a list. When he paused to read what he had written he had eight items on his list. Not all of them could be addressed immediately, but others he could tackle right now. He picked up the phone and dialled. Ydris answered after the fifth ring but reacted rather coldly when he heard that Jack was on the phone.

"Please listen to me for a minute," Jack said.

"I would've hung up already if I wasn't willing to hear you out, Jack," Ydris declared. "I'm listening."

"I wasn't in good shape this morning," Jack explained. "I'm sorry."

The line remained silent.

"Ydris, you know I'm different. I… had a lot to deal with. Still have."

"You were drunk," Ydris scoffed. "And you were a mean drunk."

"Yes."

Jack waited. It was not his style to go into any details. Ydris either accepted his scarce apology or not.

"Hope it's not a habit with you," Ydris responded. His tone, while not forgiving, was at least more receptive.

"It's not," Jack said. "I promise."

"All right, then, what do you want?"

Jack breathed a silent sigh of relief. "I was wondering if your offer to repair the windows of my office still stands."

"Yes."

Inwardly Jack cheered at Ydris's readiness to help and he coyly remarked, "Good, they're really in bad shape."

Willingly Ydris took the bait, "The windows or you?"

"When can you be here?" Jack asked.

"I'll come over when I'm finished here. Might be an hour."

"I'll wait at the water tower," Jack told him before they ended the call.

Next on Jack's list was a construction company who could close the hole in the roof. As Jack claimed the matter to be urgent and offered extra compensation the construction foreman agreed to come in about an hour and look at the damage.

Satisfied Jack sat back in his executive chair and had another look at his list:

_Call Ydris… check._

_Find a construction company that will repair the roof… check._

_The Tasmanian tigers… are going to be taken care of by Ianto and Ydris. Maybe I should check on them before I meet the construction foreman._

_The broken windows… will be repaired by Ydris, so check._

_The survivors in London… will have to wait until Ianto decides if he wants to help._

_Make sure that the dead will have a proper funeral… check. Thank you, Alistair_

_The addresses Ianto mentioned… can wait as well. They're not running away._

_Decide about One's future… almost check. I don't want to rebuild it after all. Three will become the chief branch of Torchwood, under my command. I will determine if, when, and how it will grow, change or develop and what personnel will be hired. It just will have to be made official._

Of course there were still a number of small things that he did not think of or that did not even come up yet. He would wait and see what else the invasion might entail. As there was still time until he would meet the construction foreman Jack went to see how the Tasmanian tigers were doing. He fed the mother some meat so she had enough energy to care for her young. While he watched the pups crawled up to her and began to drink which made him smile. A few minutes later he tore himself off the sight and returned to the main Hub.

"Hey, Yvonne," he murmured when the calico cat crossed his path. "Are you hungry? I got you something, right?" When he went over to check she padded along. "Did you eat? What can I do for you?"

Returning to his office he found her bowl still half-filled. She sat beside him now but she did not seem to be interested in more food.

"Well, keep it for later then," Jack murmured. The cat head butted his shin in order to catch his attention and rubbed her cheek against the inside of his knee. Jack chuckled when she walked around and between his legs in a tight figure of eight, brushing his trousers. "I'm sorry, love," he said as he leaned down to pet her. "I've gotta go. We'll cuddle later, all right?"

Taking a deep breath he straightened back up and marched to the invisible lift to get up to the Plass.

xXx

Ianto woke a few miles before his train arrived in London. With a sigh he stretched his stiff limbs. It was still raining, dark clouds grazing the highest buildings of the city. The weather reflected Ianto's mood, or maybe he drifted deeper into depression because everything looked grey in grey. When he finally climbed off the train he felt sore and rather dragged himself to the underground.

To his own surprise he went into the opposite direction. He emerged from the depths of the tube at Canada Square and slowly walked to the cordon UNIT had drawn around Torchwood Tower.

_What am I doing here? For God's sake, I should be home now. There are things to pack and I should get Lisa's things in order __for her family__._

The moment he thought that he felt grief tightening his chest. It was still fresh and more painful than he had thought. Gasping for breath he looked around for a place to sit down or something to lean against. The only thing in reach was one of the metal barriers. Supporting himself on it with both hands he fought for his composure. His gaze drifted up the tower which made him slightly nauseous.

"Ianto?"

Confused the Welshman focused on his surroundings and the UNIT soldier who approached him.

"Dennis!" Ianto greeted with honest joy at seeing the man again who had supported him and Owen while he was stuck in the conversion unit. "You're still on duty?"

"Again," Dennis sighed. "There's still a lot to do in the tower."

"Yeah…"

Thoughtfully Ianto looked back to the tall building. Its nearly undamaged façade masked the destruction inside. All the horrors he had seen were hidden away from the public. As so often the people would be told that terrorists were responsible for the attack and they would believe it. Ianto remembered a time when he had been one of them. Now he would not be that easily deceived anymore. Not after working for Torchwood. Not after what he had witnessed and lived through.

"I'm glad to see you're doing all right," Dennis said. "Can I help you somehow?"

"Actually I'm not sure why I came," Ianto admitted. "I guess I had to see it again."

"To find closure…" Dennis murmured.

"Probably." Ianto bit his bottom lip. "I was informed that you found my fiancé. Captain Harkness told me that I should contact UNIT in order to organize the funeral."

"Who's coordinating those efforts?"

"I don't know who's responsible," Ianto said. "I'm really not sure what I'm doing here." Suddenly he realized that he should ask about who was running the morgue as well but figured that he could address that matter when they were arranging the service. He had no chance to say goodbye so he wanted to see Lisa again before she was cremated.

"I could ask Colonel Mace and get you the contact information," Dennis suggested. "Would that help?"

"Sure," Ianto agreed. "Shall I wait here or…?" He was not sure about what to do as he neither was here with the team nor did he have an official order. He spontaneously rode to his old workplace and now he stood here and was clueless.

"Come on through," Dennis said. "You're Torchwood after all." He held up the plastic cordon and Ianto ducked under it in order to follow the soldier to the command tent. There Dennis gestured him to wait.

A few minutes passed until the UNIT soldier showed up again and invited Ianto inside. Among the soldiers Ianto felt strangely nervous. He was not sure what he should say if he was asked about Torchwood's mission the other day. It would be the best not to say anything.

"All right," Dennis startled him out of his musings. "Here is Major Billingham's contact information."

"Thank you," Ianto said and pocketed the slip of paper Dennis gave him. "I just thought of something else."

"What is it?"

"When we were in creature containment I discovered a small group of individuals, harmless little mammals," Ianto explained. "Captain Harkness claimed they had no room to take them in at Three, but I'd hate to see them suffer because everyone's too busy to take proper care of them. I'd like to see to them getting a nice and adequate new home."

"You want to arrange that?"

"Yeah."

Dennis nodded thoughtfully. "We should talk with Colonel Mace about it."

Hearing that Ianto sighed. After what little he had heard about the colonel and the short confrontation between him and Suzie that he had witnessed, he was not under the impression that Mace was likely to cooperate. Having no other choice Ianto agreed.

tbc…


	8. First morning meeting

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

A/N: Sorry for another delay. Seeing everything that went on lately it's a surprise I can post this chapter already! LOL Thanks, Village-Mystic, I'm glad it worked. :) Special thanks to _mandassina_! Enjoy!

**Chapter 8 – First morning meeting**

Monday morning found Ianto Jones nervously straightening his tie for the umpteenth time. He did not even know why he was anxious as he had worked with the team already, but he could not shake off his tension.

_It feels like a new job because everything __**is**__ new. The office. The colleagues. The boss._

At the latter Ianto's thoughts stumbled. When they went to help with the cleanup at the Hub on Friday it had felt like comrades getting together to work on their club house, not like co-workers restoring the base of a secret organization. Jack had bantered with them and threw in the occasional tease or witticism. They had worked on the same level then, but Ianto felt that that was not appropriate. At Torchwood One they had been in a state of emergency and on Friday night they had still been confronted with exceptional circumstances. Now this was a regular workday and Ianto did not intend to jeopardize anything by acting unprofessional.

Despite his anxiety Ianto was looking forward to his new task.

_Stage fright is part of it,_ the Welshman told himself. _That's perfectly normal!_

He already had things to report. One of his achievements he would not mention, though. His gaze drifted to the big cage in the corner of his bedsit. It had given him trouble on the train even though he had used a luggage cart. The noises coming from inside the covered cage had attracted attention and he could not allow anyone to see his treasure. Aside from that he also had brought another suitcase and his laptop in its bag. In the end he had had to take a taxi from the station to the bay to transport it all.

"Sorry, kids, but you'll have to stay here until I find a better place for you," Ianto purred as he bent down to the cage. "Do you need something? More food?" He smirked at the antics of the bustling little creatures. Right now he counted only twelve, but there had to be fifteen. The other three probably sat in the nest that they had built on their way to Cardiff and now filled one corner of the cage.

Actually Ianto thought that there should have been more as he vividly recalled how they had swarmed Jack, but UNIT only caught fifteen of them. Maybe the others were still hiding in the pipes and shafts of the Secure Archives. Ianto hoped that they found a way to survive and would not be killed when UNIT was finished with the Archives and sealed them off.

Pushing a couple of salad leaves through the bars Ianto said, "Bye, kids. I'll be back at lunchtime."

A last time he smiled at the spidermice, as he decided to call them, before he took his coat and went to work. The walk was good to catch some fresh air before he spent most of his day under ground. Ianto enjoyed the salty touch and the breeze coming in from the bay. He went down the stairs to the boardwalk where he stopped for a moment to take in the view.

"Morning, Ianto."

Turning around he discovered Toshiko strolling down the boardwalk toward him. "Good morning."

The computer expert eyed him curiously and appreciatively. A smile grazed her features.

"You're looking good," she stated as she reached for the panel beside the door. "The tie's swish."

Ianto smiled somewhat sheepishly.

As he followed her inside Toshiko carefully asked, "How do you feel?"

"A little nervous, actually," Ianto admitted and shrugged at her obvious surprise. "First day in a new job."

"You're hardly new, Ianto."

"I'm new here," he said. "And this is my first regular workday."

"Well, if you put it like that…"

Toshiko opened the secret passageway and they rode down with the elevator.

"Did Jack already give you a tour of the Hub?" Toshiko asked.

"Well, I've seen a lot of it, but no, he didn't take me on a tour."

"Guess he'll do it after our morning meeting then," Toshiko stated as they went up to the gantry.

"When is the morning meeting?" Ianto queried, expecting to be told a concrete time.

"Well, that depends," Toshiko shrugged. "We'll meet as soon as everyone's in."

"Okay…"

Somewhat awkwardly Ianto stood beside her workstation as she sat down. He did not know what to do with himself as long as he could not work on his assignment. Looking around he took in the good work the others did during the weekend. All of the workstations were set up again and the windows of Jack's office had been replaced. His gaze drifted up to the ceiling. The hole beside the invisible lift was gone as well.

An appreciative whistle turned his attention back to Jack's office where the captain just stepped through the door. Unashamedly Jack ogled the Welshman.

"I _love_ that suit," the captain praised. His hands pushed into his trouser pockets he approached Ianto and took in the details. "And I love that tie. Red definitely is your colour."

"Th-thank you, sir," Ianto muttered even though he was uncertain about how to take the compliments.

"Still, we don't have such a strict dress code here," Jack shrugged. Then he offered Ianto a lecherous grin. "Though, you can dress up like this whenever you like."

"I didn't wear this suit for you, _sir_," Ianto remarked wryly.

"I know," Jack smirked and quirked one eyebrow at him. "I can still enjoy the view."

Ianto rolled his eyes. The captain really could not help himself.

"Ianto, I'd like to show you the Hub before the others come in," Jack said.

"Fine," the Welshman agreed.

First Jack explained the most important features in the main Hub to Ianto before they had a quick look at the armoury. When they entered the first tunnel Ianto took care to stay slightly behind Jack as he did not want to encourage him. Given the stories Owen had told him he suspected that Jack especially favoured the darker parts of the maze like vaults.

"And these are the archives," Jack declared as he opened the door with a flourish, stepping in and making room for Ianto.

The Welshman just had a glance at the shelves and the boxes piled beside the desk and computer near the entrance and had to withstand the urge to walk backwards out of the room.

"Ianto, I'm sorry."

Irritated, Ianto shook his rigour off and returned his attention to Jack. "What do you mean?"

"If I was being too forward," Jack told him a bit sheepishly. "I don't want to pretend not to be interested in you as I am. I'm sorry if I overstepped some boundaries, though."

"You didn't," Ianto assured him.

"Sure? I know I'm quite forward. I… don't want to push too much seeing, well, that… after Canary Wharf."

Ianto had to admit that he was stunned. Not by Jack's obvious sympathy, he knew the captain was capable of deep compassion, but by him apologizing for his boldness. That certainly was an unusual feat for him and Ianto could understand why he led him down to the archives to do it. He wanted to offer him reassurance without encouraging him.

Choosing a stern tone he finally said, "If you did something objectionable I would have objected. You'll _know_ when you're being too forward."

Jack released a breath of relief but he recovered quickly and beamed at Ianto with refreshed enthusiasm.

"Some flirting would be all right then?" he prodded. "I won't be able to help myself."

"I'm grown," Ianto huffed. "I can take a little flirting. You _will_ know when you overdo it."

"Fine," Jack agreed and in order to test what would happen he casually added, "Unless there's _anything _else I could offer for comfort..."

It was all Ianto could do not to gape at the captain. Still his eyes grew wide and he drew in a long calming breath. The enticing scene that filled his imagination appealed to him even though he knew that it was wrong.

"No…" Ianto trailed off disapprovingly, "but thank you for offering yourself so altruistically."

Marvelling at Ianto's voice, which became even deeper now, Jack inwardly rejoiced at his witticism.

"Myself?" he queried. "I was thinking some hot chocolate and a massage..."

At that Ianto snorted with suppressed amusement.

"I think I can imagine what kind of _massage _you have in mind."

Now Jack pouted, "I'm not _that _bad!"

"So Owen's just telling tall tales?" Ianto challenged.

"Well, that depends..." Jack smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

Amused Ianto shook his head. "Anyway... thanks for the offer."

"You're welcome," the captain smirked and clapped his hands together. "I see we have a deal! Well, then, the others should be in by now. Let's get to the meeting."

xXx

The team gathered in the boardroom up on the gallery. When Jack and Ianto came in the others were already there, sipping on Starbucks coffee that Suzie brought with her. Jack sat down at the head of the table while Ianto slid into the chair beside Owen. The medic shoved another cup of coffee to him.

"Thanks," Ianto murmured.

"All right…" Jack started, folding his hands on the tabletop. "First of all, I'm glad that you're all in one piece. This was one hell of a fight. We came through it relatively unscathed and that's not a matter of course. Now, is everything all right at home as well? Your families? Your flats?" Looking around he saw the others nod. "Good. Thank you for your extraordinary work. Even the Hub's all cleaned up and operational. Good work."

Nobody felt compelled to reply in any way. They just waited for Jack to continue.

"Second I want to officially welcome Ianto in Cardiff. I expect you to support him," he shot a glance at Owen, "all of you."

"Sure," Owen grunted. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You know why."

"Funny," Owen huffed. "Now, Jack, what about those predators? I'd love to have one for autopsy. You also said we had one of those pepperpot creatures… what are they called again… in our archives?"

"They're called Daleks," Jack sternly said. "And no, we don't have one and you won't get one."

"What about the predators?" Owen prodded.

"No. UNIT will keep those."

"Why? They're Torchwood property and it would be really interesting to study them."

"Now they're UNIT's property," Jack coldly told him. "You can study the reports about them later."

"But why do they get them? I want…"

"I know," Jack cut him short. "But you won't get what you want this time."

"Why?"

"We'll talk about that later, Owen," Jack snarled. "Now, I invited Ydris to come in later as he and Ianto wanted to arrange the transport of our Tasmanian tigers. He made a few calls this weekend. You'll figure out how to get them safely to Australia, right, Ianto?"

"Yes, sir."

"Jack," the captain corrected him.

Ianto scowled. It was hard to break with habits. The broad grin on Jack's face and the obvious amusement of his colleagues irritated him.

Trying to assure him Jack said, "We're really not that formal here, kid."

At that Ianto's scowl even darkened. "Well, then you'll have to get used to it for the course of the next week."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. He and everyone else stared at Ianto as if he had grown a second head. Then they laughed goodheartedly.

"Tosh," Jack turned to his IT expert. "Bring me up to date about the status of the computer system."

"All stations are set back up and operational," Toshiko reported lightly as Jack already knew the gist of it. She knew that he just asked to fill everyone else in as well. "The system is restored and I included the new software that Ianto will need for the archives."

"Good," Jack said even though he still was not happy about using part of One's software. Noticing that Suzie chewed on her bottom lip he addressed her, "Suzie, do you have something to contribute?"

Slowly lifting her head she focused on Jack. "I'd just like to know if you plan to bring Ydris in for more than just arranging the tigers' transport."

A mischievous smirk cracked Jack's features as he thought about all the possibilities. Knowing that Suzie meant the purely work related jobs he replied, "I don't intend to hire him."

That seemed to satisfy his second in command who nodded and returned her attention to some notes she took.

"Anything else?" Jack prodded.

"No," she shook her head. "We already talked about it."

Following her furtive glance to Ianto, Jack realized that she meant his spontaneous decision to transfer the Welshman for a temporary assignment to Cardiff. She had expected him to tell her about it before he asked Ianto to help with incorporating the artefacts they collected at Torchwood One. Jack understood that it would have been the nice thing to speak with Suzie beforehand, but being the boss he did not actually see the necessity.

"All right, kids," he declared. "Now that everything's up and running you'll do what you always do and keep an eye on the Rift. I have to go to London in order to meet with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. There are some things we need to take care of."

"Sir, Major Billingham is responsible for the arrangements concerning the deceased," Ianto threw in. "Sergeant Kastner is in charge of the survivors who are in UNIT's custody. I've already emailed you their contact information."

Stunned Jack stared at the Welshman and a broad grin slowly drew up the corners of his mouth. "When did you get in touch with UNIT?"

"When I was in London, sir," Ianto told him. "I was at Canary Wharf and talked with Colonel Mace and Sergeant Kastner personally."

"You went back there?" Owen queried incredulously. "Why?"

"Lisa."

The simple statement as well as his determined expression quickly shut Owen up.

"Well, sir, I first went there as Lisa's fiancé, but as I figured that I'm acting in your interest I introduced myself to Sergeant Kastner as your interim director of personnel."

Jack just beamed at him. "Great. Ianto, you're brilliant. Did you already agree on anything?"

"No, sir. Sergeant Kastner only had a minute when I was there, so I told him that you'll contact him."

"Okay. Will do." Jack smiled proudly. "Anything else?"

"Well, I asked Colonel Mace what UNIT will do with the surviving creatures like the Blowfish."

"And…?" Jack asked, sounding slightly suspicious now. At once he had to think of the loathed spidery mouse things that Ianto seemed to fancy.

"He assured me that they will be taken good care of," Ianto explained. "Whatever that means in UNIT English."

Jack could not help but chuckle. Obviously Ianto shared his opinion about UNIT. They were necessary and certainly good for some things, but they also were a pain in the ass.

"Do you have any more surprises?" he smirked.

"No, sir."

"Can't you just call me Jack?" the captain queried with amusement lacing his voice. "You make me feel like I'm one of those old, stiff, frigid officers who have nothing better to do than ordering their subordinates around."

"Stiff, I'll believe," Owen snorted rudely. "Probably more often than any man has a right to be, but you and frigid don't even belong in the same sentence."

"What's the matter, Owen?" Suzie teased. "Jealous?"

"Of what?" Owen asked. "It's not like we're competing. He doesn't go for the same type I do."

"Oh, I think blonde and stupid would make Jack just as happy as any…"

"Anything else?" Jack asked sharply over the inappropriate byplay.

At first Suzie thought he was finishing her statement and turned to respond. Then she realized her boss was wrapping up the meeting and joined the others in shaking her head in a negative reply.

"All right, we're finished then," Jack declared. "Owen, a word in private."

As the others filed out of the conference room Owen eyed Jack curiously, drumming his fingers onto the tabletop.

"You asked me about the predators for autopsy and I declined your request," Jack told him without any detour.

"Right," Owen huffed. "Will you tell me the reason now?"

"What did you do during the weekend?" Jack demanded.

"What?"

"That's an easy enough question, Owen," Jack shook his head. "What did you do?"

"Slept in on Saturday. Watched TV. Played video games. Went out in the evening…" He trailed off and a smirk grew as he remembered, "Got laid."

"And on Sunday?"

"Slept in. Got laid. Slept some more. Played video games."

Thoughtfully Jack nodded.

"Would you say that you're well rested?" Jack queried. Seeing the doctor's confused expression he went on, "Because that's why I gave everyone the weekend off. To rest. Are you rested now, Dr. Harper?"

"I'm fit, Jack," Owen shrugged. "What are you getting at?"

"I don't like seeing you use drugs when you're out in the field, Owen. That's why I denied you the autopsies. To give you time to think about it."

"We were in a state of emergency!" Owen frayed. "It's not like I'm using constantly."

"I'd prefer you not using at all," the captain stated sternly. "Give me the pills."

"I don't know why you're upset," the medic grunted. "We know that they have no late effects. They're reliable. They're not dangerous."

Sadly Jack listened to Owen defending himself.

"Owen, you're a doctor. You know what you're doing to yourself when you use those meds. You're fooling your body, pretending that it's fresh and full of energy and when the effect wears off your whole system crashes. So I ask you again, Owen, what did you do this weekend?"

Biting his bottom lip Owen squirmed in his seat uncomfortably.

"Owen."

"Actually, I wanted to distract Ianto," he finally said. "But he kicked me out so I went home… where I fell asleep watching TV. I woke up Sunday morning."

"What about last night?" Jack prodded.

"I wasn't up to much, really," Owen shrugged. "Played video games, went to bed early."

"Good," Jack nodded. "Now give me the pills."

"I don't have them on me," Owen growled. "They're in the med bay."

"Well, that's right on my way," Jack stated, pushing himself up from his chair. "Let's go."

xXx

Jack had hardly left the Hub when Owen snickered, "All right, ladies, who's holding the bet that Ianto will stay longer than a week?"

"I don't bet," Toshiko declared.

"We all know Jack," Suzie shrugged. "He already gave Ianto a second assignment, one that won't be concluded within a week. We sure would lose the bet."

"Fine," Owen agreed. "We'll bet on the number of days then."

"No, thanks," Suzie shook her head and returned to the artefact she was working on.

"Tosh?"

The computer expert just rolled her eyes at the medic.

"Okay, then don't," Owen grumbled. "Where is he anyway?"

"Ianto went down to the archives," Toshiko told him. "To work. You know what that is, right?"

"I don't have any autopsy to conduct right now, as I didn't get one of those predators."

"Well, you could always help Ianto," Toshiko suggested with a sweet smile.

Glowering at her Owen turned to go to the archives. There he found Ianto at the desk, the computer running already.

"Here you are," Owen cheered. "I'd like to show you something."

"I was just about to get a general idea of your… _archives_," Ianto replied. "You took quite a lot from One, so it will take a while to get it all sorted."

"That can wait," Owen stated. "Come."

"What do you want to show me?"

"Wait and see…" Smirking he took Ianto by the arm and pulled him up. "Now come."

With a resigned sigh Ianto followed the medic back to the main Hub and up the stairs. High on the gallery Owen showed him to their kitchenette.

"So, there it is," Owen theatrically told him, "our coffee maker. The machine from hell that hates everyone and never produces anything but washing water."

Curiously Ianto took in the sight of the big silvery machine. It looked familiar and when he had a closer look he realized that it was a professional machine that would make any café or pastry shop proud. This one was not the same type as the one at the coffee shop where he had worked before Torchwood but it was not that different. Actually he wondered if he had not seen it at Starbucks before.

"And you dragged me here why…?" Ianto queried.

"Well, you said you're good at making coffee," Owen shrugged. "You claimed it couldn't be that bad. Prove it."

"You want me to make coffee?" Ianto chuckled.

"Yep."

"Well, I need to have a look at the machine first," the Welshman told him matter of factly, "See if it works properly and what might be the reason that you can't get coffee out of it."

"If you think that helps," Owen retorted.

"Why shouldn't it?"

"Because I've told you… this machine hates _everyone_," the medic insisted.

"We reap what we sow," Ianto shrugged.

"All right, former barista," Owen teased. "You think you can do it better…" he gestured invitingly at the machine, "Be my guest. I'm looking forward to tasting the result."

Recognizing the serious scepticism in the medic's words Ianto grimaced at him and shooed him away. When Owen had reached the gantry again Ianto turned to the coffee machine. He did not need long to determine a possible reason for the others' lack of success. Searching the cupboards he realized that he would not find what he was looking for and decided to get what he needed when he went to feed his spidermice during lunch break. Determined he went back to the archives to get some work done until then.

tbc…


	9. Comparisons

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

A/N: Oh, I had a feeling you'd like Ianto and his spidermice. :D Thanks, guys! Big thanks to DarkwingDuckie for catching up so nicely. You're a peach! Special thanks to my lovely beta _mandassina_. Enjoy!

**Chapter 9 - Comparisons**

On his way to London Jack tried not to think about anything. He had enough to worry about so he did not want to spend the ride brooding. In case an alert came in Jack did not want to use the Torchwood SUV for the trip and had decided to take one of his own cars that were usually parked in storage. He paid someone for taking care of them but sometimes, when his job allowed it, he tinkered around on them himself.

_Ydris would love them, too, toying around with nuts and screws._

Brought up short by his internal double entendre Jack laughed out loud.

_That would be me __**and**__ my cars._

He knew exactly why he had not asked either of the handsome young Welshmen to accompany him, as their company made it unlikely that he ever got to London.

_Admittedly, that would only apply to Ydris as it would mostly be me who's taking the initiative and he'd go along with it, but Ianto would give me hell for not driving._

A chuckle escaped him.

_What is there about Ianto Jones that has me so captivated? I want to bed him all right, but if it was just that I probably wouldn't pursue him so insistently. There's something more about him. That suit of his suited him really well. He didn't even his intend to dress up and still he looked gorgeous! Those are his work clothes! Incredible!_

Distracted by his thoughts Jack drove on auto-pilot until a horn startled him out of his musings. Realizing that he came horribly close to touching the other car and causing an accident Jack reduced his speed and changed to the left lane.

_That was close._

Gripping the steering wheel tighter he took a deep breath, held it a moment and released it. Aside from accidents being rather unpleasant to say the least, Jack would have hated to trash his 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster.

Of course he could not take advantage of the powerful V8 engine that ran his dream of a car – blue, in the shade of ripe blueberries, with a broad white racing stripe - as he could hardly break the 70 miles per hour speed limit without endangering everyone else on the motorway. On a racetrack the sports car could have reached 165 miles per hour, with acceleration from a stop to 60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds.

As it was Jack could not even speed up to 70 miles per hour because he was not the only one who wanted to go to London. The closer he came to the capital city the busier was the motorway. Nowadays driving a sports car was not as much fun as it used to be. The Cobra was made for running not casual cruising.

When his phone rang Jack activated the hands-free speaking system.

"Alistair," he greeted.

"I told you I'd call," the Brigadier told him with a hint of amusement.

"I'm on the road to London," Jack let him know. "Can we meet?"

"Sure," the Brigadier agreed. "I'm at the headquarters."

"All right. I'll be there in about an hour."

"I'll be waiting."

"See you later, Alistair."

Jack was looking forward to meeting the Brigadier but he dreaded the conversations they were going to have. Finally he knew what he wanted. What he did not know was what he would be expected to agree to in order to get it.

The worry knotting up his insides as well as the fact that he did not have breakfast made him crave food and he changed to the right lane to speed up and gain a few minutes so he could stop off on his way to UNIT's headquarters to get something to eat.

xXx

When Ianto returned to the Hub, carrying two heavy shopping bags, he was somewhat out of breath, but he hurried up to the gantry nevertheless.

"Ianto," Toshiko called, getting up from her seat to approach him. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he gasped. "I'm just late."

"Late?" she asked back, confused.

"I was away too long for my break," Ianto replied. "The grocery shop was farther away than I thought. Sorry."

Out of wide eyes the computer expert looked at the exhausted Welshman. "When did you even leave?"

Grasping the second bag with his right arm, too, Ianto looked at his watch. "Um… thirty-four minutes ago."

At that Toshiko had to bite back a chuckle.

"Sorry, Ianto," she said. "But don't worry about the four minutes. You're likely to gather overtime hours here."

"It's unprofessional," he murmured.

"What are you carrying there anyway?" Toshiko prodded, indicating the heavy bags.

"Just some stuff I needed," Ianto shrugged the second bag back to the left side. "Some for the kitchenette here, too."

"Well, then going shopping was job related," Toshiko smirked. "Now stop worrying."

"I'm not worrying," Ianto grunted. "Is there something wrong about being professional?"

"Of course not," she assured him. "But you're so tense, Ianto. Relax."

"Okay," he agreed just for peace's sake and turned to the stairs leading to the catwalk. "I'm not tense," he grumbled under his breath as he climbed up the stairs. If Toshiko could hear him he could not tell. At least she did not respond.

In the kitchenette he put his bags on the counter and unpacked what he had missed there. He put everything into the cupboard under the worktop except for the vinegar that he mixed with water before he filled the mix into the coffee machine and switched it on. A few low gurgles escaped it before it processed its program smoothly. With a smile Ianto left it to its work and returned to his own down in the archives where he busied himself for about an hour before he checked on the machine.

Nobody paid any attention to him as he moved smoothly up the stairs and fumbled around with the machine. Owen had vanished in his medical bay and had not been seen since the morning meeting. Suzie was still examining an artefact, and Toshiko could always immerse herself in writing programs or enhancing the computer system.

That he was left to his own devices was a little disconcerting for Ianto. As he was used to a hierarchic system with a supervisor being in charge of a division he expected to be controlled or at least directed. Here he was given his task, incorporate the new artefacts, and left on his own. That was especially strange as the archives were so far down the tunnels. The sheer physical distance to his colleagues put Ianto on edge. Usually there was a hustle and bustle all around him in the big office with numerous cubicles. He could hear the others' phones ringing, the clatter of their keyboards as they typed, their voices. He could smell coffee, tea, or perfume. Down in the vaults, it was just the cobwebs, the skitter of roaches and rodents, and the musty, dank smell of dampness.

Of course he could go up to the workstations at any time to talk to the others, but what took just a few steps at his office at Torchwood One was a longer walk here. He already had noticed that he should think twice about what he would need during the day and take enough to drink with him to what he began to think of as the dungeon.

The archives were cramped, the shelf boards bending under the weight of the artefacts stored on them. The items themselves were not marked properly and Ianto had difficulty finding the things listed in the computer. There was one big position with numerous entries but he could not recognize the actual artefacts as belonging to the same group.

It was enough to drive the meticulous Welshman up the wall.

Gladly he emerged from the vaults to check on the coffee machine. It was running smoothly and the result that he poured into the sink was almost clear. So he filled it with water this time and let it run again. As he did not feel like vanishing down in the archives again yet Ianto strolled down to the med bay where he found Owen bent over the keyboard at his computer terminal, staring at the screen that Ianto could not see from where he was standing. Going down the stairs, though, Ianto caught a glimpse at what the doctor was doing and realized that he was playing an online game. The small table was littered with sweet wrappings and several mugs stood on the floor behind him.

Ianto scowled.

_When the cat's away, the mice do play. Doesn't he have other things to do?_

For a moment Ianto just watched the medic who was so concentrated on his game that he did not even notice that his new co-worker stood right behind him. Finally he tried to address him and ask if playing computer games was his interpretation of working, but Owen either did not hear him or deliberately ignored him. When he kept prodding he got a distracted 'in a minute' in response but the doctor never moved away from his game. In the end Ianto picked up the collection of mugs and carried them upstairs.

Passing the workstations Ianto noticed that the one Owen used did not look any different than the small terminal downstairs. On Suzie's desk also stood three mugs. At least she had thrown her trash into a bin and not strewn it on the tabletop. Ianto gathered up those mugs as well and continued to Toshiko's desk.

"Can I help you?" the computer expert asked when he stepped up beside her.

"No, I'm fine," Ianto said. "It's just so silent down in the archives. I came up to assure myself that I'm not alone here."

"Oh, I see…" she muttered at the unexpected declaration. Leaning back in her chair she turned to face him and tried to determine how she could help, "What are you doing right now? I'm sure you could use Owen or Suzie's workstation if you need to enter things into the database."

"Especially as long as he's lost in the vast space of the internet," Ianto dryly stated.

"Is he roleplaying again?" Toshiko groaned.

"Well…" Ianto was caught by surprise by her statement. "Looks like it."

Toshiko sighed. "Well, there's no autopsy to perform and no alert came in… but he could help you for example."

"Yeah…"

"Go and tell him. He's not good at following Suzie's orders as long as we're not in the field." Curiously she eyed the mugs he held. "What are you up to with all those cups?"

"Just taking them to the kitchenette," he shrugged. "Do you have one, too?"

Toshiko shook her head and indicated a Starbucks cup to go.

"Okay," Ianto said and pivoted away from her. As he walked up the stairs once again he thought about Toshiko's suggestion to go to Owen and tell him to come and help him with the archiving. It was a really strange idea, especially as they had already established while he, Ianto, had still been stuck in the conversion unit, that Owen was superior to him.

Shaking his head dismissively Ianto put the mugs onto the counter. As it was not that big to begin with they took up almost the whole workspace. In order to make room Ianto let water run into the sink and washed the mugs as well as some cutlery that seemed to be stuck into another cup for ages already. Ianto wrinkled his nose at the life forms that had settled on the forks and knives, hoping that they were all native species, and he quickly disposed of the wooden chopsticks that looked like they would develop a life of their own any time soon.

By the time he was finished the coffee machine had completed its program as well and Ianto cleaned it out properly before he let it run with fresh water a final time. He had just switched the machine on when Toshiko called out for him.

"Ianto? Ydris has called. He'll be here in a bit!"

"All right!" he replied, feeling odd once more shouting through the whole central Hub. Checking if everything was put away as it should be he left the kitchenette and returned to Toshiko's workplace.

"He'll come in through the tourist office," Toshiko told him. "Why don't you go up there and let him in?"

"Okay."

She offered him a smile before she applied herself to her work again. Ianto left through the cog door and went up to the ground level with the elevator. Passing through a door that he figured did not enter directly in the tourist information office but a back room that was separated from the office by a beaded curtain.

_Where's the door for the hidden entrance then?_ Ianto checked and found the camouflaged door to be rather inconspicuous on the other side as well. _In the end it doesn't matter, I guess, as the front door's protected by a code in addition._

As the air was rather stifling Ianto opened the front door to the boardwalk where a water bus was about to cast off. Thankfully the passengers were on their way up to the Plass and none of them interested in the tourist office. Suspecting that all the leaflets and brochures were not up to date Ianto went to examine them closer. Looking at the pamphlets in the stand he found his suspicion confirmed. Quickly he gathered all the papers that were so outdated that they belonged in a museum as artefacts rather than in a tourist office as helpful information.

_Some dusting wouldn't hurt either,_ Ianto thought miserably as he kept searching the counter and collected all the old flyers in order to dispose of them as used paper. _Why do they neglect this office? It's a good front, but it would be even more credible if they'd keep it open._

Noticing movement on the periphery of his vision Ianto raised his gaze, expecting to see Ydris, but it was a brunette lady in a fuchsia coat who strolled into the office.

"Da bnawn," Ianto cordially greeted. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, please," she smiled a broad white smile at him, eyeing him curiously. "City centre… where can I get a bus to there?"

When he came back to Cardiff Ianto had picked up a network map of the bus lines but did not study it yet, so he had to make an effort to recall what he had seen at first sight.

"Where exactly do you want to go?" he asked distractedly in order to get time for thinking.

"Pardon?"

She sounded a little confused and Ianto suspected that she was not fluid in English, so he repeated his question more clearly, "Where exactly do you want to go?"

"Oh, um… here," she said, putting a travel guide on the countertop.

Seeing at what she pointed Ianto smiled. At the same time his mind was forming the route, recalling that she could take the same bus that he and Owen had used last Friday. Picking up a slip of paper and a pen he told her, "The bus leaves right in front of the Millennium Centre." Ianto waited for her to confirm that she understood and when she nodded he continued, "You can take line **eight** or **eleven**," and as he emphasized the numbers he scribbled them down on the paper, "to the bus station at the rail station or the stop on St. Mary Street." He noted both stops as well and drew a circle around the latter. "St. Mary Street is closer to the Market, though. Okay?"

"Yes, thank you." Once more she offered him a warm smile and wanted to take the paper from him, but Ianto shook his head.

"From the stop on St. Mary Street you just advance to the pedestrian area. On the corner to your left there is the Prince Of Wales, a really good pub, a bit further to the right are Royal Arcade and Morgan Arcade. Both are very interesting with exquisite shops. If you pass through there and turn to the left," he also added a rough sketch with the names to his directions, "you'll go straight toward it and have Cardiff Story to your right and Cardiff Market," at that he smiled up to her, "to your left."

"What's the story?" she queried.

"Cardiff Story is a small museum about Cardiff's development and has an information centre as well," Ianto carefully relayed and saw her nod. Giving her the slip of paper he asked, "Does that help?"

"Yes, thank you very much," she replied. "You're a big help. So… the bus leaves at the Millennium Centre?"

"Yes, that's right, ma'am," Ianto agreed, "You can't miss it."

"Thank you very much."

"You're welcome," Ianto nodded and watched her leave. Taking a deep breath he decided to go and get up to date city maps, bus network flyers, and schedules of the Millennium Centre as soon as he had the opportunity.

Through the open door he could see someone else approach the tourist information office and this time it was Ydris.

"Close the door behind you," Ianto demanded as soon as the other Welshman stepped in.

"Good afternoon to you, too," Ydris chuckled and pushed the door shut. "Something wrong?"

"Well, hello, Ydris," Ianto replied. "Not wrong, but I got an impression of what it's like to run a tourist office without having the corresponding information."

At that Ydris chuckled.

"So you couldn't help her?"

"Well, I could, but not with what I've got here," Ianto held up some of the outdated leaflets.

Having a closer look Ydris chuckled, "2001?"

"Yeah," Ianto rolled his eyes. "They're so advanced in some things and so backward in others."

Still chuckling Ydris said, "The way I got it this office isn't meant to be open."

Ianto scowled at him. "So you think that it's normal for a tourist information office in the bay area right beside the water bus dock to be closed the whole year?"

This time Ydris laughed. "No, but obviously it doesn't attract attention either."

"Hmmm."

For Ianto it was all but normal. The front of Torchwood Tower had been an insurance company and it was well known and busy. Absolutely no comparison to this sad example of a front that was in such a bad state that Ianto was surprised that no official had come yet to demand its removal from the well frequented bay area that was one of the biggest tourist magnets of Cardiff.

"Anyway, Jack said you made some calls concerning the Tasmanian tigers?"

"Oh, yeah," Ydris confirmed. "I've talked with a guy I knew at school. He's studied biology and he found me some contact details of wildlife centres in Australia and Tasmania."

"You could've googled that."

"Right, but Alan knows people there. I've written emails to two of them and got a reply from Tasmania. He's going to help with returning the tigers to the wild."

"So we've determined they're going to Tasmania?" Ianto queried.

"Not exactly," Ydris shrugged. "But Alan volunteered to take them there."

"You told him that we have Tasmanian tigers?" Ianto gasped. "Are you out of your mind?"

Now Ydris glared at the other man.

"Neither did I tell him what exactly we have nor am I out of my mind," he snarled. "All I told Alan was that I knew a private breeder who has decided that he wants to release his animals in their natural habitat and that they would belong in Tasmania. I never mentioned thylacines. I'm not Torchwood, but that doesn't mean that I'm stupid."

"I didn't say… I don't think you're stupid." Ianto scowled at Ydris. "I was under the impression that your eagerness carried you away. Now why would Alan volunteer to take the animals to Tasmania?"

"Well, it's a long flight," Ydris explained. "You can't just put them into a box, write Tasmania on it, and think they'd automatically land in a suitable environment. The flight from London to Australia takes about 20 hours, so it takes longer to Tasmania. They need to be fed and watered and when they arrive they'll go into quarantine."

Chewing on his bottom lip Ianto listened to the other's explanation. He knew a lot, but what actually lay ahead of their tigers was news to him.

"I didn't realize they couldn't be sent on their own and picked up at the airport at their destination," he admitted. "Let's go downstairs and talk about the details. Maybe your friend Alan can advise us."

"Sure."

No sooner said than done.

The two men sat in the boardroom and talked animatedly about the thylacines and their journey to their new home. They were excited about the prospect of the small group being able to save their species. After all, a small hope was better than no hope at all. They called the man in Tasmania with whom Alan had arranged the contact and agreed that he would take the tigers into quarantine and prepare their release into the wild. When the two Welshmen had finally worked out their plan, though, their conversation died away.

"So what's between you and Jack?" Ianto broke the silence.

"I… don't know what it is yet," Ydris muttered hesitantly but still continued, "If it _is_ anything at all. I hardly know him."

"I got the impression that there's much more between you." The words were out before he could think about them and Ianto felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment. _Why didn't I downright ask if they're shagging? My mam would read me the riot act for such rude behaviour._

Obviously Ydris did not have such qualms.

"Well, it's just physical, you know?"

Suddenly Ianto found himself to be subjected to the other's scrutiny. Ydris eyed him intently as if he was trying to judge him in some way. It was a bit disconcerting but Ianto returned the gaze and waited.

Releasing a heavy breath Ydris said, "And yet he's flirting with you. I mean, that's why you asked, right? Because you wonder what to make of Jack and me? More of Jack of course?"

"Well, I know he's quite… liberal," Ianto replied, "I didn't think he'd flirt with one while he's together with the other, though."

"Together?" Ydris had to bite back a chuckle. "Wouldn't that require more than just sex?"

"Huh?" Ianto voiced his confusion, but a second later he caught on to the other's not so subtle implication.

"Though I wouldn't put it past him," Ydris stated. "I think he's open to pretty much anything."

"I've heard about that…" Ianto muttered, recalling how Owen had teased Jack about his constant readiness.

"I'm sure flirting is Jack's default setting. At first I was surprised that he made a move on you, but he also hit on Suzie."

"Really? I must have missed that." Ianto felt a tingling in his stomach that he tried to ignore. "What I did notice was how he boldly teased Owen. It was more like a jibe, actually. He must know that Owen isn't the least bit interested, so why would he seek to annoy him like that?"

Ydris laughed. "I guess it's kind of a game between them. Owen seems to need the occasional challenge."

Ianto nodded before an awkward silence descended between the two men. For a few minutes they both followed their own thoughts that still spun around Jack Harkness before Ydris finally addressed the transport of the Tasmanian tigers again. They double checked what they had arranged so far until Suzie came in to tell Ianto that she would go and get takeaway dinner for everyone, but that he was free to call it a night if he wanted to.

Ianto was a little undecided. On the one hand he would have liked to spend more time with his new colleagues, but on the other hand he was tired, the spidermice were waiting, and he also did not really feel up to taking the banter that was likely to develop. In the end he decided to excuse himself and go home. When he told Suzie so the second in command just nodded and wished him a good night.

A few minutes later the two men came down from the board room and strolled past the workstations, bidding the others goodnight.

"Oh, Ianto…!" Toshiko called out after him.

"Yeah?" he turned back.

"Could you wait a moment?" she asked. Seeing him nod she went over to Suzie to talk with her quietly.

"I'm out of here," Ydris murmured and waved at Owen down in the med bay. "Night."

"Night, Ydris," Ianto said and saw him out through the cog door. Not quite patiently he waited for Toshiko, wondering what she might want from him now after being left to his own devices during the day. When she finally approached she offered him a shy smile.

"We were talking about my collection," she said. "Do you feel like looking at it now and maybe sharing a drink before you head home?"

Taken completely by surprise all Ianto could do was nod.

tbc…


	10. An eggs-traordinary night

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

A/N: Hello?! Are you still there? LOL Just wondering… Anyway, I just noticed that this is the perfect chapter for the season. Happy Easter, everyone! Special thanks to my faithful beta _mandassina_. Enjoy!

**Chapter 10 – An eggs-traordinary night**

"Do you mind taking off your shoes?" Toshiko asked as they entered her apartment. "I have slippers for visitors."

"No," Ianto shook his head. "That's all right."

He slipped on the soft shoes and followed his host down the short hall. When he entered the living room he realized why Toshiko preferred slippers: the thick fluffy carpet was white.

Even though her invitation had been perfectly innocent Toshiko could not help but feel nervous when she gestured Ianto to go through into the living room. To make matters worse he also seemed to be anxious. That put Toshiko even more on edge.

"What would you like to drink?" she asked. "I have soda and beer… or wine… I think there is also some sake."

"A beer would be nice," Ianto smiled and decided to choose where to sit. In the end, he stiffly sat down on the sofa. Letting his eyes roam around the room he took in the furnishings that were simple only at first sight. The black sofa he sat on was quite comfortable, with three red, black and white pillows. The complementary easy chair and the coffee table were black as well. Under the window stood a long sideboard in red painted wood with delicate but discreet carvings. The well-chosen pieces all were plain but not necessarily cheap. Ianto did not know that much about furniture, but he was under the impression that Toshiko put care and money into the interior design of her flat. On the windowsill stood three white orchids, a moth orchid, a cymbidium orchid and one hybrid that Ianto did not know. And then there were three shelf boards that carried the majority of Toshiko's collection.

His examination was interrupted by Toshiko's return.

"Your living room is very nice," he said. "You have a good eye for detail."

"Thanks," she muttered with a sheepish smile. Putting a bottle and a glass down on the coffee table in front of Ianto, she sat in the easy chair, her glass of soda in hand.

Eyeing both glass and bottle Ianto wondered if it was an invitation or a subtle suggestion to pour his beer into the glass.

"Either is fine," Toshiko told him as if she was reading his mind. "I'm just offering. Relax."

"Fine," Ianto said and picked up the bottle to take a mouthful.

"How was your day?" Toshiko asked.

"Long," Ianto stated and chuckled half-heartedly. "The hours seemed to stretch. I'm used to a busy office with its background noises and all that. It's so silent down in the archives."

"You could've come up to the gantry," Toshiko said with obvious surprise. "Use Owen's workstation. Even better now, make Owen help you."

"Actually I think it's better to have the artefacts on location. I don't just have to enter into the system what you brought in but also where you'll find it in the archives."

"Right," she agreed. "You shouldn't be on your own for so long, though. I'll come and help tomorrow, all right?"

"You don't have to, Tosh," he shook his head and took another sip of his beer. "You have your own work to do."

"That's a reason but not an excuse," she insisted and awkwardly shifted her position in her chair. "I'm sorry. You're new and you just went through quite an ordeal. I can't believe how thoughtless we've been today."

"Tosh," he tried to stop her. "It's okay."

But she shook her head. "No, Ianto. We shouldn't forget what you've been through. You're so good at what you're doing and blending in so quietly that we didn't think of taking better care of you."

"I see," he murmured. "So is that why you invited me?"

Biting her bottom lip, she lowered her head and cast down her eyes. Her embarrassment was cute.

"Thank you, Toshiko," Ianto told her gently. "Actually I thought about staying at the Hub for dinner, but… well, I didn't feel like good-humoured company. I mean, sooner or later Owen would get off on something and I couldn't bear the banter tonight."

"I understand."

A moment of silence settled between them. Thankfully it did not become awkward. They just paused to follow their own thoughts before Toshiko carefully said, "I don't want to keep you if you'd rather…"

"No," Ianto rushed to say, "no, it's all right. I appreciate the company. I just couldn't put up with a pushy Owen right now." He drank from his beer again and scooted forward on the sofa. Nodding at the shelf boards he queried, "So, this is your collection then?"

"Part of it, yeah," Toshiko eagerly confirmed. "Some are in the kitchen because I actually use them and then I have more in my bedroom."

"Which one is your favourite?"

"I don't think that I have one," she shrugged. "One week I like the pewter rocket best, the next week it's the sheepdog or the robot. Each of them is special."

"I get that," Ianto smirked.

Seeing him bounce in his seat undecidedly Toshiko had to chuckle. "Now go and have a closer look!"

Laughing softly at his own nervousness Ianto stood and went over to the shelves.

"How did you end up collecting egg cups of all things?"

Once more Toshiko had to laugh. She got up and came over to stand beside him.

"I'm not sure. I just happened to have a lot of them and they became more and more. I simply couldn't resist buying it if I saw an especially funny or unusual one. Soon they didn't fit into the kitchen cupboard anymore, so I took the most interesting ones and arranged them around the flat. Did you notice the one between the orchids?"

Reflexively Ianto turned to the windows to see what she meant. "The pewter camel?"

"Yep. You can take off the hump, it's the salt pot."

Ianto grinned. "No, I didn't think the lying camel was an egg cup."

"Neither did I when I first found it. It's too pretty to stay in the kitchen." All of a sudden her stomach growled audibly and she covered it with one hand with embarrassment. "We didn't have dinner yet. I could make us something to eat."

Feeling his own insides churn Ianto nodded. "Can I help you?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Just have a look at my collection if you like. Or switch on the TV. I'll whip something up."

As she spoke, she made her way to the kitchen. Ianto heard her rummaging around while he had a closer look at the stately collection. One immediately caught his attention because it was red and he laughed when he realized that it was a Scotsman cup with a red kilt. There was a series of wooden cups standing in a row, featuring male and female faces, one with a beard, another with long red curls. A bent silver fork held a white egg.

"Are those real eggs?" Ianto asked.

"Pardon?"

"I asked if those eggs are real," he repeated a little louder.

"Yes, but just the shells. I've blown them out so they can't go off!"

"Ah, I see!"

There were a couple of animal cups, a bunny with its ears sticking up, a sheepdog with a really cute nose, a chicken, a cat, a guinea pig, a donkey, an otter, and a cow. Ianto laughed softly at the bubble cars and vintage scooters that stood right next to VW camper van egg cups. On another shelf were plastic cups that had arms like octopuses. A little further back stood a silver cup with a little bear climbing the side. Another series Ianto recognized to be designed by Alessi, including a yellow one that looked like a little Chinese person. Others wore caps, consisted of a spiralling wire, or stood on their own two feet, either duck's feet or wearing shoes. An especially interesting one also held an eggshell, otherwise Ianto would never have thought it to be an eggcup as it was a round base with three small soldier figurines, their right arms raised above their heads and holding knives. The next one was a London double-decker bus right beside a red telephone box whose top was a salt castor, and an equally red mini cooper. On the same shelf were a double eggcup and one with a long stem and colourful stripes.

Then Ianto paused.

"Sheep?" he chuckled. "Do you have a Welsh dragon one, too?"

"I have two with Welsh dragons on them in the kitchen," Toshiko replied as she came back from the kitchen, thankful that he could not see her faint blush as he turned his back on her. "I couldn't find one in actual dragon shape, though."

"What a pity," Ianto smirked, making a mental note to search for one. "Lisa, she used to call me Welsh Man, making it sound like I was a movie super hero. She often teased me with my being Welsh, but she actually loved it. One year she got me a sheep and dragon chess board…" he had to pause due to a lump in his throat, "for my birthday."

"You like chess then?" she gently asked, trying to subtly divert his thoughts.

Ianto nodded.

"Do you feel like playing a game after dinner?"

"We'll see," Ianto replied evasively. So far, he enjoyed Toshiko's company, but he was not sure if his mood would not change suddenly. He did not want to burden her with his brooding. His gaze fell on the second sideboard that matched the one under the window where he saw a bronze cat, lying on its back and all fours stretched up. "Is that an egg cup, too?"

"The cat? Yes." She smirked. "I really like that one."

"I also love the birds with beak and tail sticking out of the cup," Ianto smirked. "They're funny."

"Then you'll like this one," Toshiko declared, gesturing him to follow. She led him into her bedroom where he found five more shelves, all stuffed with eggcups. "Here," she indicated the one she meant.

"A puffin! Brilliant!" With wonder he took in the assortment. It was stunning. A letter box cup, a Galloway cattle cup, a series of little owls, elephants, wolf, hippopotamus, panda bear, two green hand grenades, and even a gothic one, silver, in the shape of a skull. One shelf was filled with eggcups in the most common shape but decorated with all sorts of designs, stripes, flowers, paisley, whatever one could think of.

"I especially love this one," Toshiko told him and pointed at a kiwi shaped cup. "I was so glad the beak didn't break off when I brought it home from London."

"It's lovely," he confirmed.

"I need to check on our meal. Just a minute."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Once more Ianto had a look at the unusual eggcups before he followed Toshiko into the kitchen. At once, his gaze fell onto a little white toy train on the windowsill.

"Oh, that's cute!" he cheered. "The locomotive is the egg cup, the carriage the salt castor and the one in the middle?"

"Carrying toast," Toshiko chuckled. "Now look at this one. Isn't it right down our alley?"

Looking at what she held up Ianto had to laugh aloud at the green alien with three stalk eyes sticking out on top.

"This is egg-straterrestrial," Toshiko giggled. "Say hello."

"Hello."

They both could not help their giggles, which was refreshing and liberating. Catching his breath Ianto asked, "What are you cooking?"

"Oh, I just heated up some chow mein and popped a couple of spring rolls into the oven."

"Sounds delicious."

"After a mission I often crave something hearty but don't feel like cooking, so I make a big batch fresh when I have the time and freeze portions for when I'm beat."

"I know how that goes," Ianto assured her. "Not with missions, but sometimes you're just not up for it. That's usually when you need it most, right?"

"Always."

Seeing him smile warmed Toshiko's heart. Suddenly it made her realize how good it felt to have company and how lonely she often was on calm days when she actually had leisure time to spend at home.

"Can I help you with something?" Ianto offered.

"Well," Toshiko murmured, opening a door and taking plates out that she held out to him, "you can put those on the table… and the cutlery," she nodded at a stand on the counter where forks, knives, and spoons were hanging.

"Your wish is my command," he smirked and laid the table.

Toshiko placed a thick wooden plate in the middle that she used as a trivet for the frying pan with the noodles. Putting the spring rolls on another plate, she set them beside the pan. Just when Ianto returned from the living room with his beer bottle and her glass of soda, she slid into one of the chairs. Ianto gave Toshiko her glass and sat down opposite from her. When she reached for the ladle to serve him he held up his plate to give her better access. Only when she helped herself to a portion he picked up his fork.

"Enjoy," Toshiko said.

"Likewise," Ianto replied with a grateful smile and they both tucked in.

For a while, they ate in silence. Occasionally Ianto let his gaze drift around the kitchen while he chewed which was how he discovered another highlight of Toshiko's collection. The ceramic cup had a base that looked like grass with a low stone wall. Slender legs in chequered trousers supported the eggshell. Ianto chuckled which made his host look up from her meal.

"Humpty Dumpty?" he asked around his mouthful, indicating the eggcup on top of the fridge.

"Yep," she snickered. "I'm so glad I found that one."

"Talking about it… where _do_ you find those cups anyway?"

"Well, Humpty Dumpty is one of few that I discovered on a car boot sale. Some of them, especially the ones for everyday use, I bought at a grocery store or Kitchens. Most of them come from the internet, though."

"I see." Smirking challengingly he queried, "And do you eat more boiled eggs now?"

At that Toshiko laughed. "No, not that I'm aware of."

In companionable silence, they finished their meal.

"Thank you, Tosh," Ianto said when he leaned back in his chair, satisfied. "It was really good. Plus, at my bedsit I have no place to cook. I would've ended up ordering takeaway. So, thanks again."

"You're welcome. Do you want another beer?"

"Yes, that would be fine."

Taking the plates and pan with her Toshiko got up and returned with two bottles of beer, opened them and gave one to Ianto. Even though she smiled, Ianto could see that she was hiding sadness behind her friendly façade.

"Let's go back to the living room," he suggested.

"Okay."

On their way over, she went past him to the easy chair and Ianto could see how her shoulders sagged. She seemed to carry a heavy burden and he wished he could help her.

"Tosh?" he carefully addressed her, "Is something wrong?"

A helpless shrug was her first response.

"I don't know," she sighed and sat down on the sofa. "Maybe I'm worrying too much, but… I can't help but think…"

When she fell silent, Ianto was not sure if he should prod or not. Maybe she just needed to think about what she was comfortable with telling him. He sat down on the other end of the sofa. A moment later, she continued on her own.

"I can't help but think that Jack might come back from London with bad news."

"Like what?" Ianto softly asked.

"Like UNIT taking over guarding the Rift for example."

Even though Ianto could sense that that prospect really bothered her he could not tell why she was so anxious about it. Would she tell him? Or did she assume he miraculously knew and understood?

Finally, he settled on, "I can tell you, I'm not a friend of UNIT. Not really. They wanted to shoot me after all."

"Why would they shoot you?" Toshiko gasped a second before she recalled that he had mentioned that before.

"I can understand their reasoning," Ianto admitted with a tremor in his voice. "Every convertee was potentially dangerous and they couldn't rule out that the conversion unit would not restart and complete the…" he shuddered, "the upgrade, but that doesn't mean that I agreed with them when _I_ was stuck in the conversion unit and _I_ was the one they intended to protect the world from."

"Thankfully they changed their minds."

At that, Ianto snorted derisively. "They got their mind changed, yeah," he huffed. "Owen stood between me and the soldier who took aim at me and yelled Colonel Mace down."

A proud grin cracked Toshiko's features. "I'd have loved to see that."

"He was really insistent and they finally conceded. Dennis offered to stay and back Owen up in case the conversion unit restarted." A bitter chuckle escaped him. "I mentioned to Owen how bold I thought his standing up for me was and that I worried that Captain Harkness would reprimand him for running Mace off like that, and he told me that Jack would buy him a beer for it."

Toshiko laughed, "Yeah, that's Jack for you. I can clearly see him doing that."

Another silent moment passed but then it was as if their previous conversation had just been for testing the waters. Ianto sensed that his telling her about what UNIT did when he was first found assured her that he could be trusted. It encouraged her to open up to him and share some of her own sorrow.

"I did something bad," she tonelessly said. "Right after university I was working for the Lodmoor Research Facility, a division of the Ministry of Defence. It was a good job. I could've made a career there. But then someone abducted my mother."

Ianto scowled. Did he hear right?

"Your mother was kidnapped?" He saw her nod. "Who did that to her?"

"I don't know. They told me to go into the facility's archives and steal a set of plans. And that's what I did, I got the documents and built the thing according to the plan. They were very pleased and of course, they did not keep their word. They told me to keep working for them. If I refused they would keep my mother and… my mother she screamed at me with fright and they used the sonic modulator on us, and that… that was when UNIT barged in. Everyone was arrested."

"I'm sorry, Tosh." Ianto said hoarsely as he felt a lump in his throat. He wanted to ask what had happened next but refrained from doing it. Obviously, it was hard for her to talk about it, so he assumed that it had been traumatic.

"I was held at a UNIT prison," Toshiko went on, sounding even more anxious now and she kneaded her hands. "Without charge. And they would have kept me there indefinitely if it wasn't for Jack." She sniffled. "All I had in there was a jumpsuit. I was fed in what I believe to be regular intervals. I can't really tell because time was irrelevant in that place. Every now and then, I was led out of my cell together with other inmates to relieve myself. Nobody spoke. It was forbidden."

Ianto felt a shiver run down his spine. It was hard to believe that UNIT had been so cruel to gentle Toshiko who only had tried to save her mother.

"Back then I couldn't tell how much time had passed. The hours stretched into forever. I saw the patch of light that came through the small window high in the wall move across the cell, but I didn't care about measuring the hours with its help. It would've driven me out of my mind. It was all I could do to remain sane in that hellhole. Then, suddenly, he was there. The door to my cell opened and there he stood. At first I saw only his silhouette, or better, his coat's silhouette." A thought made her chuckle. "I don't think I've ever seen him leave the Hub without that coat."

_Then you didn't pay attention when he left for London,_ Ianto thought. _I'm sure he left it behind. The poor coat suffered after the Cybermen came. So did the Captain._

Ianto did not dare to interrupt her and waited until she continued on her own.

"Jack offered me a deal. He told me that the plans I worked with were erroneous, that they were shelved because they didn't work, but my sonic modulator worked. It fascinated him. So he said he had a job for me, a dangerous job, but if I came to work for him he would make UNIT wipe my record clean."

"Wow," it escaped Ianto.

"The thing is," she anxiously said, "that he agreed on a set timeframe. He told me 'give me five years' so that's how long I'll be obligated to him, to Torchwood. What if UNIT insists that he couldn't keep his part of the deal? What if the Institute is closed for good? No Torchwood, no job for me. What if Jack has to give me back to them?"

"He won't let that happen, Tosh," Ianto told her with steadfast belief, simply because he could not imagine that Captain Harkness would allow it. Driven by instinct he scooted closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her against himself. "Everything will be all right."

"But what if…?"

"No, Tosh," he stopped her, gently stroking her arm. "UNIT won't hurt you again."

"You can't know that, Ianto," she insisted, wriggling around in his embrace. "I'm so scared that they'll suddenly burst through the door and drag me back to prison!" The idea made her grimace and a sob escaped her. "I couldn't stand that! I'd rather be dead!"

"Nobody will take you back to that place, Tosh," Ianto assured her.

"But…"

"I won't let them. Captain Harkness won't let them. You'll be all right, Tosh."

Involuntarily his words made her chuckle.

"What did I say?" he prodded.

"You keep calling Jack _Captain Harkness_," she chuckled. "And none of us has ever called him _sir_."

Ianto shrugged. "Politeness can never hurt."

"But it sounds so… over the top," Toshiko tried to explain, snuggling into his embrace. "Nobody addresses him so formally."

"Really? In his position?"

Thoughtfully she worried her bottom lip. "You know, once I asked him who he was and he replied 'Nobody. I don't exist.' That has burnt itself in my memory. It's so hard to believe, but it must be true."

"Hmmm…"

For a few moments, they just sat like that, enjoying the comfort of the other's presence. Suddenly Toshiko felt Ianto tense.

"Oh!" he called out and looked at his watch. "Toshiko, I'm sorry, but I need to go."

"What's wrong?" she asked, scooting back.

"Well, I need to take care of something," he told her and wondered for a moment if he should tell her. After what they had shared, he felt all right with it. "I saved someone from UNIT."

"Oh?" she called out. "Who?"

"I'll show you, if you promise not to tell anyone."

"Promise!" she declared earnestly. "Where are we going?"

"To my bedsit."

Excitedly Toshiko bounced down the stairs behind him. She did not urge Ianto to relay more information during the short drive, but the Welshman could sense that she was really curious. Her anticipation was infectious and so he could hardly wait himself until they arrived back at the bay and he could lead her to his room. When he opened the door, he felt something tug on his arm when he reached for the light switch. As the light came on, he groaned.

"Oh!" Toshiko called out and shoved him into the room in order to close the door behind them. "That looks like a lot of work."

Indeed. Fine silk strands criss-crossed the room. Frantically Ianto searched for the little creatures that had escaped their cage. He fervently hoped that none of them had escaped from this room as well.

Toshiko could not help her chuckles as she watched Ianto carefully move between the thin threads that were hardly visible. He opened a cooler and took some salad and fruits out. Before he could do as much as cut them he was swarmed by the spidery mouse things.

"You saved the alien mice?" Toshiko cheered, bouncing up and down where she stood. "Brilliant! I love you!"

Her enthusiasm helped him to get over the shock his sweet little mice had presented him with. Still he looked around the room with trepidation.

"I'll help you," Toshiko assured him. "We'll clean up this mess and then we'll find a nice home for them. All right?"

Gratefully Ianto nodded at her and they set to work.

tbc…

A/N: Searching inspiration by googling eggcups I found really interesting pictures… and one of them was called eggs-terminate, a Dalek eggcup! Brilliant!


	11. Miracles do happen

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

A/N: Just a quick hello and thanks to everyone reading. I'd love to hear from you again! ;) Now, let's get to the important part: new chapter! LOL Special thanks to _mandassina_ for beta reading. Enjoy!

**Chapter 11 - Miracles do happen**

"Owen?" Jack shouted across the central Hub. "It was your turn to bring in coffee for the morning meeting! I don't see any coffee to go, though!"

A groan reverberated up from the med bay just as Ianto was passing the entrance. "Yeah, I forgot," Owen admitted. "I'll go. Just a minute."

"It's okay, Owen," Ianto said. "You don't have to go. I'll make coffee for the meeting."

"You'll make coffee?" Suzie asked sceptically as she looked up from the item she was working on.

"Yes."

"How?" Suzie pushed who had not even noticed that Ianto was working upstairs the other day.

Ianto looked puzzled. "With your coffee machine?"

"You think you got the thing running?" Owen teased with a wicked grin as he came up from the med bay.

"It's running all right," Ianto replied, still a little confused. "I got coffee beans yesterday and now I'll put the machine to work."

"Okay…" Owen said, rolling his eyes and squeezing past the young man in order to go to the bathroom. The doctor was not allowed to try and make coffee and he was pretty sure that whatever Ianto made would not be any better than what Suzie lured out of the old machine.

"Why? What's wrong?" Ianto demanded to know. "I told you I can handle it."

"Nothing's wrong," Suzie shrugged and bent over the workstation again. "He just doesn't believe you, and neither do I."

Ianto was perplexed. What was it with those agents and their coffee machine? "Tosh?"

"It's all right, Ianto," the computer expert assured him and offered him a quick smile that got a mischievous touch when she winked. "Just go ahead."

"Okay…"

Despite Toshiko's support the reactions of his new co-workers still confused Ianto. For now he chose to ignore them, though, and walked up the stairs to the kitchenette on the catwalk to start up the machine. The other's insistence that the coffee maker would be trouble remained a mystery to him. _Does it leak? I'd have noticed that__ when I descaled it__. Maybe it overheats and burns the coffee?_He shook his head. _No, it's more likely they don't know what to do with it. They'd be better off with a regular coffee machine, not this professional one._

He shrugged and poured the beans into the grinder. When it was finished, he spooned the right amount in and switched the machine on. Then he got out his notes to have a last look at them before the meeting. Not that he needed to, but it made him feel better. This was his second morning meeting with the new colleagues and seeing how the first day went he wanted to do well… but also address the issues he saw.

The steaming machine was gurgling right in time when Ianto saw first Toshiko, then Suzie and finally Owen head up to the board room that was on the same level as the kitchenette. Ianto had just put the mugs and two thermos jugs on a tray and started along the catwalk when Jack sprinted up the stairs on the other side of the Hub. A moment later, the captain entered the room from one side and rushed to his seat at the head of the table, while Ianto came in on the other side and put the tray down on the tabletop.

Jack looked at him with surprise only to glower at Owen next.

"Didn't I just remind you that it was your turn to go to Starbucks?" the captain asked. Then he smiled at the Welshman. "Ianto, nothing against you. Really. It just was Owen's turn and I don't want him to worm out of his duties."

"He didn't," Ianto said. "I told him to stay and offered to make coffee."

"That's right," Suzie confirmed. "He said so."

"Yep," Toshiko added.

"For once it wasn't Owen's fault," Suzie teased.

"What do you mean with _for once_?" Owen grumbled.

"Take it easy, kids," Jack threw in.

"I mean it, Jack!" Owen griped. "Suzie's making mistakes, too."

"We all make mistakes, Owen," Toshiko told him softly.

While the others argued, Ianto filled the mugs and served Suzie and Toshiko first, then Jack and Owen. Finally, he sat down with his own mug beside Toshiko. Glancing around the table Ianto was completely mystified. Instead of nursing their drinks his new colleagues just stared at the mugs, seemingly unable to decide what to do with them.

Deciding that he had enough of it Ianto wryly said, "I didn't poison it. If that's what you're scared of…"

"Nothing personal, Ianto," Jack assured his newest team member as he feverishly thought about a way to get around tasting the brew even though it at least smelled like coffee. There was no way to avoid it, though, so he already racked his mind about what to tell Ianto once he had tasted it. "It's just that that thing hasn't worked properly for years. Why don't you go ahead and tell us about your plans for the archives?"

"I still don't get it," Ianto said and sipped at his coffee. "Why do you run to Starbucks if you have one of their machines right there in the kitchenette?"

The team looked at him, then at each other, but remained silent.

"Guys?"

"I'd really like to know what you have planned for our archives, Ianto," Jack insisted.

"Yes, sir," Ianto could not quite suppress a sigh. "By the way, the coffee won't taste any better when it gets cold. The _archives_," he emphasized, "if you want to call them that, need a proper system. You can't seriously file everything you don't recognize under _alien tech_. What you need is a detailed index with sub-categories and cross-references. As I know the filing program that you have transferred from Torchwood One it will facilitate incorporating what artefacts you have brought in from London." He paused and when nobody asked any questions he continued, "Your own archives is another subject. Your filing system is rudimentary and the order in the physical archives non existent."

While Owen and Suzie partially blocked out what Ianto said Toshiko smiled at Jack who stared incredulously at Ianto. The captain was shocked by the young man's subtle praise of the loathed software One had used as much as by the implied statement that the archives were a pigsty. Without sparing a thought about it, he grasped his mug and took a big gulp.

A second later Jack's eyes rolled up and he sat up straight in his office chair.

"Jack? Are you okay?" Owen asked, immediately in doctor mode.

"What is _that_?" Jack panted and drank again from his coffee. "This is awe-inspiring! Ianto, from where did you smuggle it in?"

"How often do I need to tell you that I made it?" Ianto groaned. He did not understand why Jack made such a fuss about an ordinary cup of coffee.

"Kids, you need to taste it! It's incredible!" Jack beamed at the Welshman. "Ianto, I'll make this part of your job description. From now on making coffee is one of your primary duties. You'll get a bonus of…"

"I don't need a bonus or something, sir," Ianto cut him short. "I did nothing special. Each of you could do the same."

Once more Suzie, Toshiko, Owen, and Jack stared at him wordlessly, then at each other, and finally erupted in loud laughter.

"No," Jack panted between laughter. "None of us could do this. You worked a miracle there, Ianto Jones! I insist you keep doing it."

"No problem, sir," Ianto said, feeling rather uncomfortable. It was so weird getting praised for something as ordinary as making coffee. "It really isn't that difficult. Though it definitely helped that I thoroughly descaled the machine yesterday."

Now the other team members sipped on their coffee, too, and Ianto was greeted by sounds of delight.

"Now, sir," Ianto said. "There are other subjects I'd like to address. Ydris contacted a biologist in Tasmania who will help us by taking the thylacines in for quarantine before he'll release them into the wild…" he trailed off when he noticed that nobody paid attention.

Jack, for example, was totally engrossed in enjoying his coffee.

"Sir?" Ianto prodded.

But it was not until Owen kicked at Jack's shin that the captain looked up from his mug.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

Ianto rolled his eyes but repeated the most important part.

"I told you about our progress with organizing the Tasmanian tigers' journey to their new home."

"Oh, right," Jack muttered. "And?"

"And it looks like someone will have to go with them to take care of them during the flight and in quarantine. One of Ydris's friends offered to do that."

"I see," Jack nodded, clutching the mug to his chest as if he was afraid someone might take it from him. "Do you have any information about what it will cost us?"

"Our current estimation is 1.600,00 to 2.000,00 quid."

"What?" Jack gasped and almost spilled his precious coffee. "Are you kidding?"

"No, sir."

"But that's ridiculo…" he trailed off when he saw the looks Toshiko and Suzie shot at him. At least Ianto seemed to be expectant rather than accusatory. "I'm not going to pay so much money for a stranger's trip to Tasmania. If anyone goes it'll be one of us."

"Maybe you can convince Ydris to go," Toshiko suggested.

"Perfect!" Jack cheered. "I'm sure he'll love it." Again, he drank from his coffee and scowled when he swallowed the last drops. "Ianto, do you have more of this magical coffee?"

"Yes, sir," Ianto said and went over to him with the thermos to fill the captain's mug.

"Thank you, Ianto."

Ianto returned to his place beside Toshiko. "Good that we could settle this, sir," he said. "There's still the matter of the archives, though. Organizing them as well as adding the new artefacts from Torchwood One will take longer than the estimated week… much longer."

Leaning back in his office chair and holding his mug in both hands Jack just smiled a mystical smile at Ianto. He had no problem with Ianto staying longer than planned. The captain instantly fell in love with the Welshman's coffee and he was pretty sure that he could find further use for the beautiful young man. The only issue he saw was if Ianto was willing to stay.

"You might want to think about hiring someone," Ianto suggested, destroying the captain's happy illusions.

Jack stared at him with open astonishment and tried not to show his disappointment. "I thought I did," he stated, "hire someone, I mean."

"So, in your opinion the week we agreed on automatically extends with the rising workload?" Ianto challenged.

Toshiko, Suzie, and Owen caught their breaths and waited for their boss's response.

"Yep," Jack simply answered.

Raising one eyebrow Ianto stood his ground, "I disagree, sir."

"Can we talk about it?" Jack asked, perplexed.

"That sounds better, sir," Ianto stated.

"Okay… Will you stay?"

"Let's talk about that after the meeting, sir," Ianto suggested. "There are other issues we should address."

"Oh, really?" Jack started to believe that bringing Ianto in would result in quite an uproar.

"Yes. I'd like to talk about the tourist office you use as a front, but we can do this later as well," Ianto told him matter of factly. "I'm sure that right now we're all interested in what you accomplished in London."

Jack choked. All of a sudden, he felt humbled by the realization that Ianto of all people addressed what he should have reported on his own accord. Feverishly he thought about where he should start, as the previous day had been quite eventful.

"Well, I met with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart to talk about wrapping things up at Canary Wharf," he finally started. "There are some details I don't need to burden you with, but let me give you an overview of the important stuff. First, Torchwood One will be closed for good." Hearing Toshiko try and stifle a gasp he went on, "Torchwood Two and Three will remain operational and I've officially been put in charge as Torchwood's new director. So everything will go its usual way here. I don't intend to accept personnel transfers from One to Three, though."

Clearing his throat Ianto tried to catch the captain's attention and when Jack looked at him expectantly he asked, "What exactly do you expect me to do as the interim director of personnel then?"

"To wrap things up," Jack told him without any hesitation, ignoring the indignant look Suzie shot at him. "They will receive a pension and can leave Torchwood with or without taking retcon. I'll leave that possibility open to them as they're bound by the Official Secrets Act. Or they can move on to UNIT. Colonel Mace offered to take them over."

"I bet he did," Suzie snorted wryly. "That way he can learn One's secrets on the quiet."

"Of course he can't," Jack scowled. "That's one of the points I want you to help me with, Ianto, the debriefing."

"How may I be of assistance with that, sir?" Ianto queried.

"You're great at organizing things," Jack shrugged. "You'd be responsible for the corresponding paperwork. Maybe you can also help me with the actual debriefing?"

"You mean like _good cop, bad cop_?" Owen mischievously cut in. "Ianto balancing out your blustering?"

At that, Jack glowered at his medic. "I'm sure Mr. Jones can give matters the right official appearance."

Ianto shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Sir, who's responsible for the finances here?"

"That would be me," Suzie beat Jack to it.

"Because I'm willing to do the necessary correspondence," Ianto explained, "but I don't know anything about payroll accounting. Maybe we can work together on that?"

"Yeah," Suzie grunted.

"Something wrong?" Jack demanded to know.

"No," she sighed. "It'll just be a heap of work."

"Well, I can't deny that," Jack said and turned to Ianto, "I'm glad that we can work things out together there."

Ianto nodded. "Did you talk with Major Billingham, too?"

"Yeah, right," Jack confirmed. "UNIT is still in the process of identifying the remains. He said that he'll be in touch again by the end of the week."

Once more Ianto nodded, this time because his throat was corded up. Thoughts of Lisa and Virginia and all the other lives that were lost during the Battle of Canary Wharf choked him.

"All right, kids," Jack declared. "I think that's it. Back to work."

As the others filed out of the board room, Ianto remained in his seat as he expected to clear his own status with the captain.

"Now, what am I gonna do with you?" Jack smirked as the door closed behind Toshiko, leaving the two men alone.

"Beg your pardon?"

"This coffee is amazing," Jack stated. "You don't expect me to ever let you go, do you?"

"You said you won't accept any transfers from One," Ianto stated dryly.

"Right, but you're already working for me," Jack chuckled softly. "Besides, you're different."

"I'm different? In which way?"

"I distrust One's personnel," Jack declared flatly. "_You_ on the other hand have already proven your worth and your loyalty. Not just to the Institute. To me."

Ianto snorted. "By betrayal."

"One man's betrayal is another man's trustworthiness," Jack firmly told him, allowing no objection. "You did what you believed to be the right thing. Actually, you followed your superior's order. A man whom you trusted and who happened to be one of very few," _if not the only one,_ Jack thought, "who did not betray _you_."

Ianto could not deny that the captain made a point. "Still, about my temporary employment…"

"Do you want it to be temporary?" Jack queried, leaning back with his coffee mug.

"You're asking me?" Ianto shot back.

"Who else should I ask?" Jack shrugged. "I have a pretty good imagination of what _I_ want, but I have no idea what _you_ want."

"I have absolutely no idea, sir," Ianto admitted.

"And I can perfectly understand why," Jack told him gently. "You need time to make those decisions. Can we agree that you're going to stay and help with the personnel, the funerals, and the archives for, I don't know, another three weeks?"

"I can't tell yet if four weeks will be sufficient, sir."

"As long as One's artefacts are incorporated we can deal with the archives," Jack assured him.

"The same way you've dealt with them up to now?" Ianto queried with barely concealed horror.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Where do I start, sir?"

For a second Jack looked crestfallen before he pouted, "I really don't know why you find fault with our archives."

"Have you been down there recently?"

At that, Jack grinned, "When I showed you the archives."

"That doesn't count."

"We go down there regularly," Jack explained. "We need a place to store what comes through the Rift after all."

"So you just put it there and forget about it?"

"No!"

"Then please explain your archiving system to me, Jack," Ianto demanded. "Because I can't make any sense of it."

Suddenly the captain's features lit up. He practically beamed at the Welshman who scowled in response.

"You called me Jack," the captain grinned like the Cheshire cat.

Ianto huffed. "Seriously, _is_ there any system to your archiving?"

Just as quickly as the grin had cracked his face Jack's features turned sour.

Ianto choked. Even though he could not tell exactly what was wrong about what he had said, he knew that he had overstepped a line and he felt the urge to apologize. Biting his bottom lip, he searched for something to say without making it worse.

"There is," Jack rasped, "but… that's a long story and I'm not ready to tell you about it."

Accepting the explanation with a nod Ianto asked, "Could you still spare a few minutes to help me grasp your concept?"

For a moment, Jack mulled over that before he nodded. He reached for the thermos and pouring the last rest of coffee into his mug Jack asked, "Ianto, could you work some more coffee magic?"

"Of course, sir," he replied, sensing clearly that this conversation was over, and took the thermos from him. As he turned to leave he got only as far as to the door when he was stopped short by a casual remark.

"Oh, and, Ianto…" Jack held the freshly filled mug against his lips, watching the young Welshman over the rim. "If only one of those accursed spidery mouse things that you coaxed UNIT into giving to you comes anywhere near the Hub, I'm gonna make you my coffee slave for the rest of your life."

A grimace washed over Ianto's features, followed by a dramatic roll of his eyes, before he continued on his way without further comment.

tbc…


	12. Coat and coffee

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

**Chapter 12 – Coat and coffee**

After his talk with Ianto, Jack returned to his office. He felt on edge. Unknowingly Ianto had touched a subject that woke painful memories. Just for a second he had been tempted to tell the young Welshman about the agonizing time after his tragic loss on the last night of the year 1999. It was hard to believe but Alex had been his first boss who did not make him feel like he was part of the equipment. Jack liked to work with Alex and his team and when he died in the line of duty he knew he had someone to talk to if needed after his resurrection. He rarely made use of the offer, but knowing that he could and was not taken for granted already helped a great deal.

With a sigh Jack sat down behind his desk. His gaze fell on the little coral on the tabletop and his heart clenched painfully. He yearned to travel but this planet was too small to satisfy his desire. Sometimes he wondered if he would ever find the kind of happiness again that he had experienced only twice during his long life and both his youth and his time with the Doctor were over a hundred years ago. Some rare times came closer to being happy than others and being part of Alex's team had been one of those times.

_It's about the people,_ Jack thought. _I love my team members. Suzie. Toshiko. Owen. Each of them is special and I'm so glad I found them and made them part of this team. Why can't I get a connection with them?_

Jack never realized that it was fear of renewed loss that kept him from getting to know his co-workers better. All he knew was that something was missing.

Hearing a knock he looked up and a smile touched the corners of his mouth when he found Ianto at the entrance to his office.

"Come in," he said and explained, "As long as that door isn't closed you don't need to knock."

"Okay." Ianto approached his desk and set down another big mug with steaming coffee.

"Mmmmm," Jack smiled. "Smells wonderful. You know, a wise man once said that a good coffee has to be black as the night, hot as sex, and sweet as life."

"You didn't say anything about sugar," Ianto muttered, thinking he forgot something.

"Oh, no, I don't take sugar" Jack rushed to assure him. "It's just a quote. Thank you."

"In that case," Ianto mused aloud, fixating the captain with a stern gaze. "I've seen that coffee mug, sir, and it's hot as _love_, not sex."

"Oh, well, I must have misremembered it," Jack muttered, a naughty sparkle in his eyes that sent chills down Ianto's spine. Just as quickly turning nonchalant, Jack asked, "What are you going to do now? The archives?"

"Yes, sir."

"I need to take care of this pile here," Jack gestured at a stack of papers on his desk. "I'll join you later in the archives, okay?"

"Of course, sir."

"Ianto, I'm sorry for cutting you short earlier," Jack said. "You caught me on the wrong foot."

"No problem," Ianto assured him. "It's not my place to question you about it."

"It's your job to question me about how I kept things filed," Jack firmly told him. "I went through a hard time when I used that improvised filing system. That's all I'm gonna tell for now."

"That's perfectly all right, sir."

Jack smiled and took a drink of his coffee. Smiling dreamily he leaned back…

…and was interrupted by an alert shattering the silence.

Groaning Jack took another gulp and put the mug down. Rushing to the door he shouted, "What is it?"

"Rift alert," Toshiko replied. "Seems to be something big."

Owen came up from the med bay and Suzie approached from her work area where she examined an artefact.

"Can you tell us anything else?" Jack asked, "Did something get through?"

"No. Sorry, Jack," Toshiko answered, "We'll have to go and see."

"Well, let's go then. There's a job to be done," Jack said cheerfully and the others rushed to gather their equipment. "Are you holding down the fort, Ianto?" he queried and patted Ianto's back encouragingly.

Ianto winced and emitted a small hiss.

"Oh, sorry!" Jack gasped, contrite at having hurt the young man whose back still appeared to have sore spots from being trapped in the conversion unit. "Really, sorry."

"No harm done," Ianto groaned.

"No, I mean it. I'm sorry," Jack insisted. It looked like it was becoming a habit, apologizing to Ianto. As quickly as his expression had changed to shock, though, a mischievous smirk cracked his features. "Shall I kiss it better?"

Sourly, but with a mystical half-smile, Ianto grimaced at him, slightly shaking his head. "No."

Jack actually looked disappointed. Why could he not get anything right with Ianto?

"I could drive," Ianto suggested.

"That won't be necessary," Jack shook his head. "But thanks for the offer. You can continue with your task… and have some of that incredible coffee ready when we get back."

All Ianto could do was roll his eyes.

"Do you want an earpiece? Then you can follow our radio talk."

"Yes, sir."

"And could you call me Jack, for God's sake?" the captain frayed. "You're driving me crazy!"

"Apparently a short trip," Ianto muttered under his breath.

"Hey! I heard that!"

Ianto was stunned that Jack could understand him but did not back down. "Take it like a man, Captain," he smirked wickedly. "Just like I'm enduring your flirting."

"Endu…!" Jack gasped. "And here I thought my odds for dinner with you were rising!"

"Hardly," Ianto told him matter of factly. "Now, sir, your team is waiting."

"Ianto Jones, you're really one of a kind," Jack snickered. "You want it? You'll get it: I'm expecting coffee when I get back. That's an order!"

"Yes, sir."

Ianto saluted, looking so serious that Jack could just shake his head.

"Jack?" Owen shouted. "Are you coming?"

"Yep!" Jack replied. For a second he looked at his office, undecided, but then he hurried to catch up with the others who were on their way out through the armoury.

xXx

For a minute or so Ianto stood on the same spot and felt a little lost. When he finally shook off his rigour he returned to Jack's office to collect the half-empty coffee mug. On his way out his gaze fell on the coat rack and the greatcoat that hung limply from one of the hooks.

_He left his trademark behind._

Now he understood why Jack had been reluctant and looked back to his office before he left. He carried his gun in its holster, but the coat was still there. Obviously he wanted to take it with him but decided against it.

_To the two most important things,_ Ianto chuckled to himself, lifting the coffee mug at the greatcoat. _Coat and coffee._

Ianto let his free hand run over the thick wool. Even though the stains were not clearly visible he could feel them where blood and dirt encrusted the fabric.

_They must have suffered a lot._

Feeling the irresistible urge to do something for the captain, Ianto took the coat from its hook and out to the main Hub. Only then did he realize that he had no idea if he would find something like laundry detergent here. Actually he doubted it.

_Maybe dry cleaning would be a better idea._

Sitting down on the sofa in the rec area, Ianto examined the heavy woollen coat closer. It was not just really dirty but he also discovered tears and holes in the thick fabric.

_What happened to Jack to leave such traces? A Weevil attack? Probably._

Letting his fingers run over the folds, Ianto recalled how he woke up with the coat stuffed under his head. Jack had taken him to the med ward at Torchwood tower and when Ianto would not let go of the coat he left it there.

_One of those blood stains must be mine._

Deciding that Jack could not wear the coat again as it was, Ianto got out his cell phone and called his landlady as the bedsit was much closer to the Hub than the next grocery store. Mrs. Dillard assured him that she had laundry detergent at home and he asked if he could have some which she readily agreed on. So Ianto quickly went to his bedsit in order to get the cleaning agent, making a mental note to buy a replacement and getting more for the hub as well. He also coaxed Mrs. Dillard into giving him a sewing kit, carried both back to the Hub, and found a basin in one of the storerooms that he dragged to the shower room. There he let warm water run into the basin. He poured in some of the detergent and mixed it thoroughly in. Then he looked through the coat's pockets to make sure nothing important hid in them and put the coat into the bath to soak.

Now he had to wait.

xXx

When Ianto emerged from the Hub's shower room about an hour later the team was not back yet. Even though Jack had offered him one of the earpieces he forgot to give it to him before he left, so Ianto was clueless. Unwilling to just sit around and wait, he went down to the archives to get some work done. For about an hour, he busied himself with sorting the files that blocked the desk and made using the computer there rather difficult. Then he realized that he would not notice if the team was back. The thought put him on edge and after a few minutes, he decided to pause and go up to the main Hub.

His timing could not have been any better because right when the coffee machine announced with happy gurgling that it was finished brewing the paving stone of the invisible lift slowly descended, carrying Jack and Suzie to base level. When Ianto and Jack's gazes met a broad grin cracked the captain's features at the prospect of fresh coffee.

"No reason to be so happy," Suzie snarled as they reached the bottom. "We still have an unexplained death to solve."

"No reason not to enjoy coffee," Jack growled.

"Oh, I know exactly what you were enjoying," she hissed back and moved away from him, going over to her worktable.

"What happened?" Ianto wanted to know as he walked down the stairs.

"No thermos?" Jack asked back.

"I was about to ask if I should take it to the boardroom for a meeting."

"Not yet," Jack told him. "I'm about to get a stretcher. Owen needs to do an autopsy."

"Which brings me back to my original question," Ianto said, "What happened?"

"Well, we don't know," Jack shrugged.

The blank admission startled Ianto a little. This was another difference between Torchwood One and Three. Ianto could not imagine anyone at the headquarters officially claiming they had no idea. Torchwood was the one place where everything was possible… which ultimately led to the Institute's downfall.

By the time Ianto returned to the present Jack was gone to get the stretcher he mentioned. A moment later he reappeared and made his way through the armoury to the underground garage to bring in the body. When he returned, Toshiko and Owen were with him. Together they took the body bag to the med bay where they placed it on the autopsy table.

Hesitantly Ianto crossed the gantry to the handrail from where he could look down to the med bay. The others just removed the bag and Ianto had to force himself to stay where he was. A young man was inside, which was hard to bear for Ianto after his own brush with death.

"Is there something I can do?" he asked when Toshiko came up the stairs.

"Well, actually…" she smiled apologetically, "some coffee would be really nice."

Going with her toward the workstations Ianto asked, "Tosh, is there a special story behind your obsession with coffee?"

"Not really," she shrugged. "Call it a legal drug that keeps us going."

"Well, you shall have what your heart desires," the Welshman smirked with exaggerated chivalry.

"Thank you, Ianto."

Ianto sensed a lump form in his throat. Toshiko's thanks were heartfelt. It made him wonder whether their efforts ever were acknowledged. Working for a secret organization they would never get any recognition by the public and with their team consisting only of four people their only approval might come from their boss, Captain Jack Harkness. Torchwood One could have been a source of acceptance, but as the captain had severed the ties to the headquarters that was unlikely as well. Any small sign of appreciation, even if it was a simple cup of coffee, probably meant a lot to them.

Making a mental note not to ask ever again, Ianto just turned and climbed up to the kitchenette. Two minutes later he was on his way back down with freshly filled cups. Putting the tray down on Owen's workstation he first served a mug to Toshiko who offered him a shy smile, and then to Suzie who was so engrossed in examining an artefact that she just grunted something that could have been anything from a thanks to an insult. Ignoring her weird behaviour Ianto took one mug down to the autopsy bay where Owen was about to open the body. Ianto put the mug onto the small computer terminal there. All Owen gave him was a curt nod.

"Thanks, teaboy," Owen muttered absently as Ianto already set foot on the stairs again.

The young Welshman paused, his head whipping around.

"Pardon?"

"Huh?"

"What did you just say?" Ianto prodded at Owen's confused expression.

"Said thanks?" the medic murmured.

"No, that other word," Ianto pushed.

Owen just shrugged.

Indignantly Ianto put his fists on his hips and huffed, "You called me _teaboy_."

At that a wicked smirk cracked the medic's features.

"Oh, that… well, that's appropriate seeing what you're doing, right?" Owen teased, and giving a crooked grin and a wink he dove back into his task.

Shaking his head at the medic Ianto returned to the gantry. With the last mug he went to Jack's office. As the door was open he went straight in as he had been told before and found the captain at his desk, lost in thought. Ianto found that he looked weary. There was no energy in his posture and his eyes appeared unfocused. All of a sudden Jack looked up and his whole demeanour changed, a smile spreading on his face and the pale blue eyes sparkling.

"Ianto! Coffee! You're a lifesaver!"

Ianto could not help but wonder how much of his refreshed enthusiasm was real and how much was show that the captain put on in order to maintain his dashing superhero façade.

"Do you have a moment?" Ianto asked.

"Yeah. Come, take a seat."

"Thank you, sir."

Rising a sceptical eyebrow at Ianto, Jack tilted his head to the side. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but… How's the archiving going?"

"With the identifiable items it's going slowly but steadily, sir," Ianto replied matter of factly.

Jack chuckled at the hidden reprimand. "I think I earned that." Even though he appeared to be amused he was in uproar. Checking out the Rift alert did not go as well as he claimed. When they arrived at the location they could not find any trace of alien presence, but there was an unexplained death and they took the body to find out if there was a connection with the Rift. A gulp of coffee helped to ease his tension.

"How did the mission go?"

Now that question did _not_ help.

"Can't really tell," Jack admitted with a shrug. He took another drink. "No alien visitors. At least not as far as we can tell."

"Who's the victim?" Ianto prodded.

Fishing the wallet he had taken off the young man out of his waistcoat pocket and checking its contents Jack said, "One Spencer Murphy."

"What happened?"

"No idea," Jack shrugged. "He was dead already when we arrived. Now Owen's trying to determine the cause of death to see if it's related to the Rift."

"I see."

Using the pause to drink more of his precious coffee Jack leaned back in his executive chair. The black brew did not just smell good, it also tasted incredible. Out of the blue Jack was thrown back in time to when Griff brought in the machine that appeared to be oversized for a staff that consisted of only six people. Then they realized that it produced a seemingly never-ending supply of coffee and no one teased the young man anymore. The only downside was that Griff was the only one who could make a brew that deserved the title coffee. Since then Jack had not tasted a coffee that tasted this good.

"Sir, may I ask you about your filing system?" Ianto broke the silence.

"You can ask me whatever you like," Jack told him with a lopsided shrug. "But that's not a guarantee that you'll get an answer."

"Well, you said that there actually _is_ a system," Ianto continued unperturbed. "Can you explain it to me now or should we meet later?"

Jack was grateful that Ianto offered him a choice. _He's a very thoughtful and compassionate young man. And his unusually deep voice…_

"Are we talking about the reports or the artefacts?"

Ianto grimaced. "Well, if I'm not mistaken the files were dropped there in chronological order?"

At that Jack grinned sheepishly. "You can say so, yes."

"And the artefacts?"

"Were also dropped there in chronological order, more or less," Jack quipped. "They're coded with symbols."

"You mean those glyphs you scrawled on the boxes with a permanent marker?"

"Yep."

"Does it matter whether it's red or black?"

"Yep."

"Red is more dangerous?" Ianto suggested.

"Exactly."

Accepting the explanation Ianto nodded. "Can you make me a list of the symbols you used and their description?"

"As in right now?" Jack queried. At present he was not in the right frame of mind to concentrate on his symbolism.

"At some point between now and tomorrow morning," Ianto suggested.

"That will work," Jack nodded.

"All right."

Thoughtfully Jack watched the young Welshman as he sat in the old chair, his back straight, his head held high. One of his hands rested on an armrest, the other on his thigh. Its relative proximity to his groin made Jack's thoughts drift to impure spheres. While he did his best to school his features into a neutral expression he wondered what that hand could do, to him or to Ianto himself. What would it be like to feel that hand on his skin? How would it tingle when it slowly moved from his pectorals across his stomach to more sensitive regions? He could imagine that hand doing things to him that he had better not think about too hard right now or it would cause physical reactions.

Noticing how Ianto rolled his eyes Jack wondered if the latter already occurred.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?" the Welshman asked.

Instantly five different scenarios came to the captain's mind, but instead he said, "No, Ianto. Thank you."

"All right, sir," Ianto confirmed and got up from his chair. "I'll be in the archives then."

"Fine with me," Jack replied even though he wished the young man would stay much, much closer to him.

Giving a short nod Ianto got up and left the office, leaving an uncomfortably agitated captain behind.

tbc…


	13. A close call

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

A/N: Thanks to StarKayak for trading ideas. You were a big help. This chapter is for you. Special thanks to my beta _mandassina_. Enjoy!

**Chapter 13**** – A close call**

A few hours later Captain Jack Harkness was on edge. No, scratch that. He was about to go nuts.

His coat was gone!

When they returned from their mission and he did not see it on its hook on the coat rack he assumed that he remembered wrong and took it down to his room below his office. Reassured by this assumption he spared no further thought about it and tried to focus on his work. He even began to write his list for Ianto until he could not find it in him anymore. Then he climbed down the ladder to get his coat and finally have a better look at it to see how badly it had really suffered…

…and it had disappeared.

The greatcoat did not lie on his bunk.

It did not hang in the wardrobe.

It was not in the bathroom.

It was not thrown over the backrest of his chair.

It was definitely _not_ in this room.

Climbing back up Jack searched his office. No trace of the coat.

Jack stood in the middle of his office and trembled with anxiety. He could not remember what he might have done with it. The last time he saw it, it hung on the coat rack. At least that was what he believed to remember. Now it was miraculously gone and Jack felt like a piece of himself was missing. The greatcoat was not just a thing that kept him warm or protected him against wind or rain after all. It represented memories and was an embodiment of a turning point in his life. The mere idea that it might be lost caused Jack physical pain.

"Jack?"

"What?" the captain barked and spun around to find Owen in the entrance.

"I finished Murphy's autopsy," the medic stated and came closer.

Stunned Jack took a deep breath and released it audibly. Did so much time pass or was the doctor unusually fast today?

"What did you find?" Jack forced himself to ask in a reasonable tone.

"The young man suffocated," Owen explained. "I can't tell why or how, though."

"Was he strangled?" Jack queried.

"Didn't I just tell you that I don't know?" Owen growled. "There are petechial hemorrhages in his eyes that are a clear sign of asphyxiation, but I could not find any haematomas that indicate strangulation."

"His airways could've been blocked," Jack suggested.

Owen shook his head. "I found no indication. As there was no water in his lungs he did not drown either."

"Well, how should he have drowned where we found him?" Jack mused aloud. "He wasn't anywhere close to water."

"I couldn't find any marks around mouth and nose either that would suggest that someone held them closed."

"What about his larynx?" Jack queried. "If it spasmed he wouldn't get any water into his lungs, right?"

"That's true, and right now that's the only explanation I can think of," Owen confirmed. "There are no irritations in his throat or oral cavity. Nothing that indicates external forces."

"But people usually don't asphyxiate by themselves, Owen."

"I know. Tell that to the corpse down in the med bay!" the medic frayed. "Do you know any aliens that could've done that? Maybe a telepath?"

"Telekinetic strangulation?" Jack chuckled. "Sounds interesting."

"Too bad we can't ask Murphy," Owen declared, "he could tell us how he died."

A chill ran down Jack's spine at the medic's words. Not for the first time he was glad that his team members did not know about his unique state. He could imagine all the questions or that Owen would love to experiment on him. Not that there were any tests that Torchwood did not conduct on him yet, voluntarily or involuntarily. Still Jack had no answers.

"Well, we _could_ have asked him…"

Turning toward the voice they found Suzie standing in the doorway.

"What do you mean?" Owen snapped. "He's dead."

"I know," Suzie shrugged. "But maybe we could've changed that."

While Owen snorted an incredible laugh Jack's interest was piqued.

"How?" the captain prodded.

"The glove, Jack," Suzie explained and her features lit up with eagerness. "I think that's what the glove is for!"

"To do what?" Owen incredulously snarled, "wake up the dead?"

"Bring them back to life."

"That's not possible, Suzie," Jack told her and felt another shudder course through his body at the lie. He knew only too well that there were things in the universe that could not be explained or at least not be grasped by human understanding.

"And I think it _is_ possible," she insisted. "Of course it doesn't work if the body's disembowelled like a Christmas turkey."

"Stop kidding," Owen grunted.

But Jack became curious and said, "Tell me more about it."

"You don't believe that crap, do you?" Owen challenged.

"I need to hear more before I decide what to believe or not," Jack shot back. "Suzie?"

"Well, Jack, if you would actually _read_ the papers passing your desk you'd know that I reported about my first studies on the glove that was washed up in the docks last month."

"Then tell me about it now," Jack commanded.

"It's doing resurrection!" Suzie excitedly went on. "It looks like there's a limit built in, but it seems like anything dead that you touch with the glove will be reanimated."

"You really are kidding, right?" Owen huffed.

"No. One minute and twenty-two, Jack!" Suzie heatedly declared. "That's the longest I managed so far, but I don't think I've reached its limit yet! You can believe me, it brings back the dead!"

"You already tested that?" Jack queried.

"Sure I did! I was tasked to examine the glove and find out what it does after all!" Suzie insisted. "So that's what I did! I brought back a fly… and a goldfish!"

"How long have they been dead?" Jack demanded to know.

"They've been dead between ten seconds and ten minutes."

"Ten seconds to ten minutes?" Owen cut in again. "Did you kill them so you could conduct your tests?"

"I did what I had to do," Suzie told him flatly. "But it could be important! Imagine what we could do! It's an amazing thing!"

Her enthusiasm was infectious and Jack loved her dedication. She was easily excited by new and mysterious things and dove into a task with everything she had.

"Jack?" Toshiko asked, peering in around Suzie who still leaned in the doorway.

"Yes, Tosh?"

"Something's going on, Jack," the computer expert told him. "There was a 999 call about an unidentified assailant."

"What's that got to do with us?" the captain wanted to know.

"The woman who made the call said something about it being a foggy shape before it dissolved and became invisible. She screamed and began to choke. Then the call ended in white noise."

"Oooo, creepy," Suzie chuckled.

"Our first victim was suffocated," Jack stated flatly before Owen could. "Let's have a look at this new case. Suzie, bring the glove. Let's see what it can do."

"All right," Toshiko confirmed and hurried to gather her scanners and PDA.

A moment later they were on their way back out to the SUV. Jack climbed in behind the steering wheel and chased the car out of the underground garage and through the streets of Cardiff. He was fully concentrated on the coming mission. For now the vanished coat was forgotten.

xXx

Which probably was the reason why Ianto remained unchallenged. With the team being gone nobody noticed him emerge from the bowels of the Hub around six o' clock. If Jack would have asked about his coat someone might have pointed out that Ianto had been the only one at the Hub who could have taken it, and that would have inevitably led to Jack confronting the Welshman about the missing coat.

As it was, though, the Hub was vacant when Ianto came up from the archives. Realizing he was all alone he deduced that the team was called away again. Part of him was angry that nobody had cared to tell him that they left for a mission while another part told him that they probably did not have the time to go down to the archives and let him know.

_I should really get one of those earpieces. Guess they even forgot I'm here._

Ianto toyed with the idea of going home as his workday was officially over by now, but something held him there. As he did not feel like returning to the archives he went to restart the coffee machine in order to have a fresh brew when the team returned. Then he strode down to the storage room where he had spread out the greatcoat on a rack to dry. In said room Ianto had found a fan heater that he put to good use. When he checked on the coat now it felt warm and dry. So Ianto switched off the heater and took the coat with him to the archives where he set about repairing the damages.

xXx

At the same time Jack had other problems.

Understandably but not necessarily desirably the police were being difficult. A woman was dead and the constables wanted only one thing: preserve the scene for the CID and the crime scene unit to collect physical evidence. Torchwood did not mind them preserving the scene, but the more people contaminated it the more unlikely it became to find out what had caused the woman's death.

To make matters even more interesting fate had sent old acquaintances.

"I don't know why we're arguing," Owen muttered under his breath and Suzie shrugged.

Jack chose just that second to cut a long story short and simply ignore the constables as well as the blue and white striped plastic cordon and pushed past the officers to approach the victim with long strides.

"You can't go there!" the female constable yelled.

"Easy, Gwen," her partner shushed her. "He claims they're superior to us. Let's call headquarters and see what they say."

Still fuming the constable caved and let the others pass.

"He's regained some hair," Toshiko snickered lowly as she stopped beside Jack and took her first readings.

"Oh, he's the one who used the Bracosian depilation device?" Owen said, unnecessarily gaping at the police officer.

"Constable Davidson just couldn't listen to my warnings," Jack grunted with barely concealed amusement before he forced himself to be earnest, "Now, Owen, what do you think?"

Squatting beside the female body Owen cast a first look at the seemingly untouched flesh. Slipping on gloves he reached out for the woman's blouse to push the collar back. No strangulation marks. Leaning closer he sniffed at the body and opened her mouth to look at the oral cavity.

"Petechial haemorrhaging in her eyes," he reported. "Seems to be the same cause of death."

"Now that's suspicious," Suzie stated. "Maybe something _did_ come through after all."

"I was just thinking the same thing," Jack agreed. "We need to find it."

"Find what?"

Groaning inwardly at the pushy voice, Jack straightened up, bracing himself. Suddenly he missed his coat dearly. Turning around he fixated Constable Cooper with a stern gaze.

"The cause of death," he lied firmly. "This case is our jurisdiction. I confiscate the body and the corresponding evidence. Please make sure nobody else enters the crime scene, Constable."

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded. "You can't just barge in here and order us around."

"Oh, I can and I will, Constable Cooper," Jack shot back. "Now go and keep your colleagues out."

"What?" she gasped.

"Your crime scene investigators," Jack elaborated with a nod at the people he saw arrive in a police van. "Keep them out."

"But…"

"Now," Jack insisted and the constable finally went to do as she was told. As she walked away he watched her for a moment. When she and Andy had temped for Torchwood she had shown an eagerness that was comparable to Suzie's, full of joy at the unknown and mysterious. Now she was annoyed with the stranger who ordered her around and suspicious of the group that occupied the crime scene. It was a pity, but Jack could not think of any other way to maintain Torchwood's secrecy.

Ianto and their discussion about Retcon came to his mind. Of course it would be easier if the people agreed to losing their memories, but what person who was in the right state of mind would do that? The survivors of Canary Wharf came to mind, and Jack was again reminded of how impressed he had been with Ianto. For some reason he thought it would break his heart if the young man should change his mind and join those who would choose to forget the horrors of that day, but Jack would not blame him if he did. Starting a new life on a romantic lie of a tragic accident that stole his fiancée would, in many ways, be easier than living the truth of Torchwood.

A shiver chased across his skin and Jack wanted to draw the coat tighter around him, which made him conscious again of the fact that his coat was undiscoverable.

"Jack?"

"Yes, Tosh?" he replied absently and he only looked at her PDA when she nudged his arm.

"What do you think?" she queried.

"That you found something," Jack told her vaguely. "Could be a creature. We need to check it out."

"All right."

Toshiko led the way, repeatedly looking at her PDA for confirmation. They approached an old warehouse with a fading white thirteen painted above the doors.

"Superstitious, anyone?" Jack murmured.

"Are you?" Toshiko asked with astonishment.

"Not really," he shrugged. "Working for Torchwood I've seen too many things that were beyond belief."

"Exactly."

One hand resting on their respective weapons the two Torchwood agents stood on both sides of the door in the gate and looked at each other. Silently Jack counted to three and carefully opened the door. As they slowly stalked inside their eyes needed to adjust to the twilight. Apparently the warehouse was currently unused. Even though no goods blocked their view the agents did not see any intruders.

"Where are they?" Jack whispered, reaching for Toshiko's PDA.

Showing it to him she indicated the far left corner. Still neither Jack nor Toshiko could make out where the aliens were. Or if there were any aliens. All Toshiko could tell with the help of her scanners was that something emitted radiation over there. Something that should not be here. Something that presumably had killed two people already. Something that obviously was dangerous.

Carefully the Torchwood agents ventured into the open space, keeping an eye on the far corner where the beings were supposed to be.

"They're splitting up," Toshiko whispered, holding up her handheld computer. "See?"

"Yeah," Jack confirmed after a quick glance at the screen. He was still trying to determine where, or what, the aliens were.

"Any idea yet?" Toshiko asked as if she was reading his thoughts. In fact it was experience that made her ask. Jack simply knew a lot of alien creatures and technology, and if anyone could tell what they were confronted with it was their captain.

"No," Jack had to admit. "What exactly are you measuring?"

"Rift radiation," she told him, meaning the temporal and spatial background radiation anything coming through the Rift picked up during transition. "It was too low to be measured at the Hub."

"Okay."

Considering that the beings still were invisible suggested a possible reason why the radiation was not that high: they simply did not have enough mass.

Looking closer for rather small life forms Jack slowly moved forward. He felt a prickling at the back of his neck. His instincts told him that this had to be handled carefully.

"Stand back," he murmured and Toshiko paused.

Checking on her PDA she said, "They've stopped."

"Where?"

"About thirty yards away, one's closer to the long wall the other to the short."

Narrowing his eyes Jack kept searching. Maybe the creatures were camouflaged. If they were they were pretty good chameleons as they were still invisible. _There!_ Was he mistaken or did he notice movement?

"Tosh? Did they move?"

"A bit to the side," she confirmed.

"Okay…"

Jack's bad hunch intensified. Racking his mind he tried to recall whether he knew any creature that could hide itself like this, but to no avail. Undecidedly he stood in the middle of the empty warehouse. All he knew was that the beings were dangerous and needed to be contained. So far he had no idea how to do that.

Staring at the same spot for what seemed like forever now, Jack attempted to catch a glimpse like before. It had not been anything but a shimmer of air, not unlike a mirage.

_What are they?_

Slowly he made a tentative step forward and all of a sudden his hair stood on end. Jack could not say that he saw something, but still his senses screamed alarm.

"Jack?" Toshiko said, sounding alarmed as well. "They're coming closer, directly to your position."

"Get out," he hissed.

"What?"

"I said, get out."

The captain's breathing accelerated as he tried to brace himself. Asphyxiation was unpleasant to say the least, but he was willing to risk it if they could find out more about what they were dealing with.

_Guess my secret won't be a secret anymore then,_ he inwardly sighed and moved just a little bit further toward the alien.

"Jack!" Toshiko screamed. On her screen she could see how both dots shot toward the captain. She heard a rush of wind but did not feel anything of a breeze.

Jack on the other hand was well aware of the assault. A shimmer of the air was the first indication. Then he saw dust whirl up from the floor of the warehouse, small pieces of debris and paper being caught as well. It looked like a whirlwind and rushed toward him with incredible speed. He heard Toshiko's scream a split second before the howling of the air drowned her voice out.

Trapped in a localized twister Jack could not even struggle. Instinctively he had raised his arms to protect himself, but they were pressed against his body now that the air whirled around him with a force that robbed him of his breath.

_That's why there were no strangulation marks! They died in a whirlwind!_

The realization fuelled panic. Despite having returned from every death he had died for over a hundred years now, Jack could not keep the fear at bay because he still was not sure that he could survive literally anything. Anxiety came every time he was about to die and being squeezed by a small tornado allowed Jack enough time to fully experience the unpleasant emotion.

His gasps for air remained without success and Jack felt his senses dwindle. There was another sensation that he could not place, like the whirlwind was taking something else from him, but maybe it was his life that he felt being drained from him just before he lost consciousness.

xXx

"Jack!" Toshiko screamed. Helplessly she had to watch how their captain was caught in the whirlwind. Reaching up to her earpiece she called for Suzie and Owen's backup. Instinctively she slowly moved backwards, away from the rush of air that held Jack captive.

"What happened?" Owen yelled as he stormed into the warehouse.

Pointing at Jack fighting his already lost fight against the force of the wind, Toshiko whimpered, "They got him."

"What got him?"

"Two… something," Toshiko muttered.

Suzie appeared behind Owen. She looked shocked by the scene.

"We've got to help him!"

"How?" Toshiko queried. "How do you fight wind?"

Being left without a clue they stood and stared until Owen could not stand it anymore and moved forward.

"No!" Toshiko shouted and grabbed his arm. "Jack told me to get away! Don't get caught by them as well!"

The medic was about to argue when the horrible pressure on Jack decreased and he slumped to the ground. Dust and bits and pieces were stirred up as the wind phenomenon turned in the direction of the Torchwood agents. Toshiko squealed as it quickly moved toward them and wrapped her arms around Owen. She could feel Suzie close behind them.

A gush of wind swept over them, showering them with the small bits of debris that it carried, and disappeared, the door swinging in its hinges as it was pushed further open.

"What the hell was that?" Suzie queried.

"Jack!" Toshiko shouted and ran, Owen right on her heels.

"The wind sucked the air right out of him," the medic stated, falling to his knees beside the captain and placing both heels of his hands on Jack's chest. "Breathe for him, Tosh!" he commanded as he began to pump. "One, two, three, four, five… breathe! Again!"

Feverishly they worked on reviving their leader who lay limp on the concrete floor.

"Oh, my God," Suzie whispered, finally catching on to what had happened. "Can you help him?"

"We'll see," Owen grunted. "Three, four, five…"

As he trailed off Toshiko blew air into Jack's lungs. She desperately hoped that it helped. People who drowned could be saved like this, she knew that. Would it help Jack as well? Once more she breathed for him.

Arching up beneath them, Jack gasped for air. A series of coughs followed. Every single one sounded painful and Toshiko reached out at him comfortingly. It took a moment until the captain could breathe properly again and fell back to the ground. His breaths still sounded a little rattling.

"Was someone kissing me?" he croaked, eyes still closed.

"Nooo," Owen grunted and sat back. Rolling his eyes he emphatically groaned, "Bugger! He's already back to his old self."

Toshiko cried hot tears with relief and Suzie released a breath she did not know she had been holding.

"You sure?" Jack queried and finally opened his eyes.

"You're incorrigible," Owen spat. "It was resuscitation, nothing more, nothing less."

"You?" the captain smirked wickedly.

"No. Tosh."

"Thank you," he smiled up at her. Seeing her tear streaked face he added, "Easy. I'm fine."

"We thought we lost you!" Toshiko sobbed.

"But you didn't," he said and tried to sit up. It made him feel a bit nauseous. "Could you gather any data when they attacked me?"

"What…?" Confusion spread on Toshiko's face. "You expected me to…" she trailed off, losing track of what to say. Instead she looked at her PDA to see if it continued to scan and which data it could offer. She scowled. "I need to examine this closer," she said. "Besides, it's creepy to be here. Can we go back?"

"Yes," Jack nodded and regretted the motion at once. "The aliens certainly are gone. Let's bag the body and return to the Hub."

Owen helped him to get up and offered him his shoulder as support as Jack staggered along. Still feeling queasy, he left it to his team to pack up the woman's body and carry it to the SUV. Suzie argued with detective inspectors of the criminal investigative division. Jack was glad that his team took good care of everything. Once more he wished he had his coat. He wanted to wrap himself up into the warm wool, using it as comfort as well as a shield against unwanted questions.

Now that he had a moment to gather his thoughts, he realized that only one person had been present when the coat disappeared and he intended to have an earnest word with him, which was a polite description of what he imagined to do when he got back to the Hub.

Realizing that it was dark by now Jack looked at his watch. _Ianto probably went home__ already._ Well, that would not keep him from punishment. The worst thing Jack could imagine was that the Welshman thought the coat was beyond repair and threw it away. The mere idea made him shudder and his insides clench painfully.

"We're ready to go, Jack," Suzie insistently declared. Probably not for the first time.

Nodding, he followed the others to the SUV and readily allowed Owen to drive.

tbc…


	14. Twisted approaches

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

A/N: Yeah, I know, you were thinking "how could you, Jack?", but there's more to it. Hope I could pull it off. Some feedback would be great, if you have a minute. Thanks. Special thanks to my beta _mandassina_. Enjoy!

**Chapter 14 – Twisted approaches **

Checking his watch Ianto realized that it was not quite eight in the evening. Straightening his back, he raised his arms and stretched upward, left and right and to the back to work the kinks out of his sore muscles. A yawn escaped him and Ianto was surprised by how tired he was.

_Maybe due to the sewing. I don't have the best light down here, but I want it to be a surprise after all, so it's not advisable to do it right in the central Hub where the captain can watch._

Once more he let his hand run over the wool and smiled, being content with his work. He put the coat back onto a hanger and hung it on one of the shelves so he could gather up all the things he needed before he went up to the main Hub. The coat went onto the coat rack and a list Ianto had compiled for Jack onto the desk. His grumbling stomach made the Welshman aware that it was evening already and that he had not eaten since his lunch break.

_Which applies to the others as well. _

For a moment he thought about ordering takeaway like pizza or Chinese, but as he had no way of knowing when the others would return he refrained from it. The thought of food reminded Ianto of his spidermice, but he had left a handful of chopped fruits as well as a small bowl of cat food for them so they should still be adequately supplied.

_I could get some sandwiches. No. What am I thinking? They're perfectly capable of getting themselves food when they can._

Standing between the vacated workstations Ianto felt left out. What should he do with himself now? Go home? It did not feel right.

_I really should get one of those earpieces. Then we could keep in touch._

For a moment the Welshman contemplated if he should go back to the archives but if he was honest he could not stand the sight of anymore files tonight. As his gaze drifted to the sofa and the chest serving as a table in front of it he sighed. Team Torchwood definitely did not know the definition of the word _order_. He piled up the magazines that were scattered on it, picked up some wrapping papers that he tossed into the bin, and took a mug with some leftover coffee to take it to the kitchenette. On the way there he collected two other mugs and was about to wash them when he heard the door of the armoury open.

"You don't have to perform the autopsy tonight, Owen," Jack told the medic sharply. All he wished for was to be on his own. "We know what happened. Go home."

"First I'll give you a once over," Owen insisted and tried to shove Jack toward the med bay.

"I'm fine! Leave me alone!"

"If it was anyone else you'd be pestering me to do a thorough check-up!" Owen snarled, intent on not letting the captain get away. "The sooner we start, the sooner we'll be done!"

"No."

From up on the catwalk Ianto had a good view across the whole Hub. He saw Toshiko emerge from the armoury as well while Owen now stood at the entrance to the med bay, arms crossed over his chest and fixating Jack with a death glare.

"I'm waiting," Owen grumbled.

"You can wait until hell freezes over!" Jack barked. Only four short days had passed since they came back from London which were not enough to recover from the multiple deaths he had suffered, especially as he had been working his ass off. He was so terribly tired. He needed a break. So he had to fight to keep his desperation out of his voice when he demanded, "Tosh! What are you doing here? Go home!"

"Suzie brought the body to the elevator," she stated as she walked up the stairs to the gantry. "Please, let Owen make sure you're all right."

"I _am_ all right, Tosh," Jack sighed and wished for a genie that would transport his co-workers home. "Now leave me be."

"Those… _things_ almost killed you, Jack," Toshiko all but whined. "Please. We just want to make sure you're okay."

"She's right, Jack," Owen grunted. "C'mon! Just a look with the Bekaran scanner."

Ianto found that Jack looked positively dangerous when he rounded on the doctor and the computer expert, "What the hell do you want from me? Why can't you take my word for it? Now get out of here before I really get angry!"

While Toshiko flinched away from him and retreated back down the stairs to get to the cog door Owen stood his ground.

"What's the matter with you?" he thundered. "We could be done already instead of screaming at each other! You've been cranky ever since we left the scene! What's wrong with you?"

"What's that to you?"

"You're our leader, Jack! I'm the doctor and you're not well. You're my responsibility!"

"Fine!" Jack pouted, "I'll release you from your duty!"

"You're firing me?" Owen gasped incredulously.

"Get the hell out!" Jack screamed and grabbed the first thing he could lay hand on which happened to be the stack of magazines Ianto had sorted earlier and forcefully threw it at the medic. One of them hit Owen's forearm when he brought it up to protect himself. The others scattered on the floor.

"Fine," Owen huffed. "Have it your way."

Pivoting on his heels he bounded down the stairs and left through the armoury. As soon as the door fell shut behind the doctor Jack threw his head back and let out a long, high-pitched roar of fury and frustration. When he paused to gasp for breath his gaze fell upon the catwalk and the Welshman who still stood at the kitchenette and watched the scene with mixed emotions. Seeing the pale blue eyes bore into him with barely suppressed rage, Ianto shivered.

"You!" Jack hoarsely thundered, pointing at Ianto as if he aimed with a gun, "My office! Now!"

Ianto choked on the lump that suddenly stuck in his throat. What had he done wrong? With trepidation he put down the mug he held in hand when the others returned and went to the staircase.

Jack stormed into his office, trying to think of another outlet. As mad as he was right now he might do something to the newest addition to his team that he would regret tomorrow. On the other hand he knew that the punishment had to match the crime. He could not just reprimand Ianto and let him go his way. He had to come up with something more impressive and right at that moment that was a thorough spanking. The captain got as far as his desk when he stopped dead in his tracks and spun around.

_My greatcoat!_

With widening eyes he stared at his beloved coat and how it draped down the coat hanger on the stand. It was right where he had left it, and for a split second Jack wondered if he had imagined that it was gone, but something was odd about the picture. He rarely put the coat onto a hanger, just on the hook, and it appeared rarely neat. Someone had cleaned it. Someone had mended it. Someone called Ianto.

Slowly turning his head to look over his shoulder, Jack noticed a thermos flask and a fresh mug sitting right next to a handwritten list. Suddenly he had a frog in his throat and he had to support himself on the backrest of the chair standing in front of his desk as he felt slightly nauseous. His breath caught in his lungs and his lips started to tremble as he realized that he had done the young man wrong.

To Ianto it looked like rage when he carefully entered the office, still wondering what was going on, and addressed Jack with a tentative, "Sir?"

Being barely able to speak Jack pressed through gritted teeth, "Did you take my coat?"

"T-to clean it, sir," Ianto croaked. Seeing the captain shiver he feared another eruption like the one that hit Owen. _He can't even look at me. It has to be bad._

It was all Jack could do not to scream again with frustration. Why did he take it all so wrong? Why did he not learn? Had the Doctor been right when he said he would be bigger on the inside? As it was he did not prove him right. And what would Rose say to his lack of empathy? Both she and the Doctor would be horrified.

Fighting for what was left of his composure Jack rasped, "Why didn't you ask?"

"I…" Ianto choked. "I wanted to d-do something for you. To express my gratitude for… getting me out and… well, for doing what you've done during the crisis and after, asking UNIT to cooperate and to arrange proper funerals and…"

Ianto trailed off. He was not sure why he defended himself as he did not think that he had done something wrong.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I should have asked, but… I wanted to surprise you."

In his emotional uproar, Jack first could not believe what he heard, but when the Welshman's words finally sank in he gasped for breath. All of a sudden his world began to spin around him, he swayed and tried to turn the chair around. Missing as he sat down, the chair toppled over and Jack came to sit on the floor instead, almost hitting his head against the desk while the chair landed on its side.

"Sir?" Ianto called out and rushed to his side. "Jack, are you all right?"

Jack tried to answer but only a sob bubbled out of him. His eyes filled with tears that spilled down his cheeks and with every gasp for air his breath hitched in his chest.

Wrapping his arms around the captain's shoulders, Ianto tried to steady him. He felt him sag against him and held him tighter, using one hand to rub circles on his back.

"Shhh," he soothed. "Easy. Everything's all right, Jack. Take a deep breath. C'mon."

Jack tried to follow Ianto's instruction and sobbed instead. He could not wrap his head around how someone he barely knew could be so considerate. It was more than anyone had done for him in a very long time. The gratefulness that filled him had become something strange to him and he still struggled with his emotions.

At the same time Ianto tried to guess what made Jack dissolve in tears and suspected that it had something to do with the mission.

"What happened, cariad?" he murmured close to his ear as he leaned Jack's head in the crook of his neck. With one hand he kept rubbing soothing circles on the captain's back while he ruffled his dark hair with the other. "Did the mission go awry?"

"Hmmm?" Jack sniffled and put his arms around Ianto's muscular form. It felt so good to be held like this.

Realizing that he was being too forward, Ianto muttered, "Sorry. It's not my place to ask."

Jack gasped. He was not sure what to do. Fresh tears threatened to fall. _How can it be that this man, this child, is so much wiser than his years suggest? How can he be so understanding?__ He deserves an answer. Not the whole truth, but something._

After a moment's thought he told him, "Something happened to me. When I was travelling with the Doctor. I don't know…" His strength seemed to bleed out of him and he leaned against his desk. Did he want to tell Ianto about how the Doctor had left him behind? It felt so right to talk to him. He watched the young Welshman how he sat on the floor, waiting, but not prodding. After a short while he saw him tense and shift his position to get up.

"We were separated and I tried to meet the Doctor here, but my vortex manipulator was malfunctioning, taking me to the wrong time… and then it burnt out, getting me stranded."

"Your what?"

"Never mind," Jack warded off with a soft chuckle. It was fascinating how Ianto focused on the technical thing instead of the mystery surrounding his existence. Or did he do it on purpose? "It took me some time to travel to Cardiff, and when I finally got here I could not find him."

Ianto nodded. "That's why you were so disappointed that you missed him in London."

_Disappointed?_ Inwardly Jack cringed and he had to bite back a bitter laugh._ Oh, Ianto! The understatement!_

"You have questions," Ianto simply stated.

"Yes." Jack was stunned at Ianto's incredible insight.

"And while you were waiting you created something you can be proud of."

Jack paused. _Maybe his insight's not quite that incredible._

"No," he said. "No, I'm trying to build something that the Doctor can be proud of." Jack saw Ianto's features darken and wondered what was wrong. "Ianto?"

"Isn't it more important to build something that _you_ can be proud of?" the Welshman challenged.

Stunned Jack gaped at him.

"You know why I came to Cardiff?" Ianto queried.

"Why?"

"Because I was curious about you lot here," Ianto explained. "And because I believed what Dr. Markham told me about you. That you're not like Torchwood One. That you're trying to make a difference."

Jack swallowed a fresh lump in his throat. "That's not… I'm not the hero you think me to be."

"Are you kidding?" Ianto puffed. "After everything you did? You fought the Cybermen in Cardiff. You fought the Daleks. You came to London to save what was left to save. You saved me! And now you're telling me you did nothing special?"

"Yeah," Jack croaked. "Because I should've done more! I should've… done _something_!"

"Done what?" Ianto gently prodded.

"Stopped her!" it burst out of the captain with a suppressed sob. "I tried to figure out what those ghosts were. I had a really bad feeling about them but I needed to know more and… well, that's why I tried to find someone in London who would help me."

"Markham."

"Yes, but he did not know a lot about the project. He tried to learn more while we conducted our own experiments, but before any of us could gather enough information…" once more he gulped down a frog in his throat, "the ghosts turned into Cybermen."

"But, if you suspected the ghosts to be dangerous, why didn't you confront Hartman with it?" Ianto demanded to know. "She should've seen reason then."

For a long moment Jack looked at him silently. Ianto waited. He sensed that Jack needed to take his time to answer to difficult subjects… if he answered at all. Ianto figured that as long as the captain did not change the subject or simply leave, chances were good that he would actually get an answer.

In point of fact Jack did not think as much about _if_ he should answer but about _how_ he should explain himself.

"It's complicated," he finally said, staring at the concrete floor rather than at Ianto. "You know I've been with Torchwood for a long time, right?"

"Yes."

Jack sighed. "Then you can probably imagine that I've had a lot of experiences with the Institute."

"I think so, yes," Ianto confirmed.

Secretly Jack doubted that Ianto had any idea of what kind of evil he had encountered inside the walls of Torchwood. Still it was encouraging to know that he would not simply reject what Jack was about to tell him.

Seeing the captain shiver, Ianto smoothly got up from the floor and retrieved his coat. Gently he put it around Jack's shoulders. Returning the captain's small smile Ianto sat down beside him, leaning his back against the desk as well.

"I have to start earlier," Jack told him. "Back when they began to build the tower Yvonne asked me to come to London and give her advice about how to handle a space-time-rift. We were at the old headquarters so I never had an actual look at the location or the opportunity to take any readings. Yvonne explained to me that the tower was supposed to give them access to the apparently stationary breach in order to control it. We talked about the Cardiff Rift and how we dealt with whatever washed through. Yvonne's assistant took notes and the director assured me she would contact me again if she needed further information."

Again Jack sighed.

"I should've known better."

When Jack fell silent, Ianto knew better than to prod him. The captain would continue on his own when he was ready.

"You're not the only one with a shady history, you know?" Jack finally said in a teasing tone. His smile, though, looked pained.

Confused by the change of subject Ianto raised an eyebrow at the captain.

"Your youth sentence," Jack elaborated and conceded, "Okay, it was shoplifting. Once. It's just an example. Everyone makes mistakes. Some are bigger than others…" he trailed off. "What I mean is that Director Hartman was not any better than all the Torchwood bitches before. She kept track even on minor slip-ups."

"You were prone to being blackmailed?" Ianto suggested.

Finally Jack met his eyes.

"Yes," he admitted.

Ianto nodded. "Did she threaten you or… did she know about Toshiko?"

"Toshiko?" Jack all but gasped. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she told me about how you got her out of the UNIT prison," Ianto admitted.

"Oh." Jack was honestly surprised. On second thought, though, could he see a friendship developing between them, so it was not that surprising after all. What was really unanticipated was that Ianto actually managed to worm his story out of him, but right now Jack did not care. It was liberating to be able to talk to someone, so he went on, "We were at work when the first _ghosts_ appeared on a late January morning. One of them showed up right in our Hub. Suzie and Tosh freaked for a second before we started to try and figure out what happened and where the _ghost_ was coming from. No such luck. After a minute the spook was over. We wanted to tick it off as a one-time appearance when the _ghost_ came back the next day and when it showed up more regularly we became worried.

"At the same time the people got used to the ghosts. Some said they recognized dead relatives."

"Yeah, I remember," Ianto threw in. "Then the news started to air a _ghost watch_."

"What about your flat?" Jack asked. "Was one of them in your flat?"

"Thankfully not," Ianto snorted. "It was bad enough that they were out on our street."

"I take it you were not a fan."

"Definitely not."

"We weren't fans either," Jack tried to pick up his thread.

"Except Owen," Ianto chuckled.

"Not as much a fan as being fascinated by the hype around the _ghosts_," Jack huffed. "Anyway, when the appearances became more regular we became suspicious. I called Director Hartman, but her assistant just told me she was not available at the moment."

Ianto chuckled wryly, "So much for her people skills."

"Why are you saying that?"

"She prided herself with being a people person," Ianto explained. "Called everyone by first name. Ludicrous."

"Did she call you by first name, too?" Jack prodded.

"I seriously doubt she even knew I existed," Ianto laughed softly.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Jack said. "There's a note about your psychic evaluation in your file after all."

The captain's serious tone brought Ianto back to the subject. "I guess there was a lot she was informed about."

"You can bet she was. To become director of Torchwood you've got to be a cross between a piranha and J. Edgar Hoover." The way Ianto rolled his eyes made Jack smirk. "You remind me of Lumiere and…"

"Walt Disney?" Ianto interrupted incredulously.

Grinning sheepishly, Jack admitted, "I love those movies."

Laughing good-naturedly, Ianto smirked, "Who am I to judge? I'm into totally unrealistic spy novels." When Jack smirked back he asked, "So, who's the other then?"

"Cogsworth," Jack replied teasingly, "but I can also see a good deal of James Bond in you."

At that Ianto scowled, "What's that supposed to mean? You think I'm as pinched as Cogsworth and as fickle as Bond?"

"No," Jack shook his head and when he searched Ianto's gaze, the ardent longing in his eyes sent shivers down the Welshman's spine. "I think that you have Lumiere's sense of duty and loyalty… and James Bond's courage and incredibly good looks."

When Ianto blushed, Jack chuckled. "And that's exactly how I want you."

For a moment, Ianto looked at Jack scrutinizingly before he challenged, "I seriously doubt that," he paused, "sir."

It took Jack a second to catch up on what Ianto meant, but then he laughed out loud. "You mean in bondage? Oh, Ianto! You're incredible!"

"By the way…" Ianto prodded, "which Bond would that be? Connery, Moore, Lazenby, Dalton, Brosnan…?"

"None of them," Jack murmured seductively and tentatively brushed his hand over Ianto's thigh. "Even offering descriptions, novels leave the appearance of a character up to the reader's imagination, so I believe I just found my ideal James Bond."

"Careful, sir," Ianto scolded, without trying to remove Jack's hand. "This could be considered harassment."

"Hey! You started it!" Jack complained, only to add with a salacious grin. "Would you like it if I'd harass you?"

"No," Ianto said flatly.

Jack scowled and sat back. "Then I just lessened my chances for dating you?"

"Not necessarily."

Jack smirked. "What are my odds anyway?"

"Hmmm… about thirty-eight percent in favour, sir."

"I see," Jack murmured. "That's not that good yet, is it?"

"No, sir."

Uncertain about how to continue they sat in silence. Neither of them had forgotten what they were talking about. The banter had been a release. Now Jack tried to find the right pace for his tale.

"It was mid February when I decided that I was fed up with being stalled by Hartman's assistant," Jack finally said. "I drove to London to confront Yvonne personally."

"And this meeting didn't go that well?" Ianto guessed.

"That's one way to put it," Jack sighed and started to talk:

_Snow was in the air on that late February morning and when Jack arrived at Canada Square in Canary Wharf the first flakes tumbled down from the dark grey sky. As he was early, Jack left his car in the underground garage and took a short walk around the plaza. His gaze went up the highest building in London, wondering just once more what was going on behind its walls._

_Taking a deep breath, Jack strolled back into the tower where he took the elevator up to the top storey where director Hartman had her office. Upon leaving the carriage, he was confronted by security guards and a member of Yvonne's team who tried to stop him, but Jack did not care. Being in charge of Torchwood Three gave him authority with an A2 security clearance. He had the right to know what was going on._

_With long strides he marched down the corridor, his greatcoat billowing around him when he entered the open plan office he had to pass on his way to the director's office._

_Jack stopped dead in his tracks._

_The office had changed since he had last seen it. Back then it had been empty, the craftsmen just starting to work on Yvonne's office. Now there were several desks with technicians working on their computers. The rear part of the huge room was empty._

_Most intriguing for Jack, though, were the two huge levers and energy cannons that were directed at the rear wall._

_Jack's features darkened at the sight. A look at his wrist device confirmed his suspicions._

"_Captain Harkness, Director Hartman is not prepared to see you," the assistant addressed him. "I must insist on you leaving this area."_

_Abruptly swivelling around, his swinging coat adding a dramatic flair, Jack got in the young man's face._

"_Prepared or not, I need to see her," he said darkly. "As I can see, she's in her office and she doesn't appear to be too busy."_

_With that he pushed past the assistant and through the door in the shatterproof glass partition, breezing into Yvonne Hartman's office._

tbc…


	15. Human relations

**Doomsday: Post Apocalypse**

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Dislaimer_: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

_Summary_: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

A/N: Thank you, guest, for addressing those subjects… and thanks to everyone else as well. I love to hear from you. Now let's find out how it continues... Enjoy!

**Chapter 15 – Human relations**

"_Yvonne…" the assistant started to apologize as he rushed in right behind Jack._

"_It's okay, Matt," the director said, smiling at him. "I'll talk to Captain Harkness. Thank you."_

_Nodding, the assistant left Yvonne's office, closing the glass door behind him._

"_What do you want, Captain?" Yvonne asked flatly, putting her folded hands on top of the file she had been working on._

"_Answers," Jack snarled. "What the hell are you doing with the breach?"_

"_We're controlling it," Yvonne replied jovially. "You came all the way from Cardiff to ask me that?"_

"_Well, as you neither accepted nor answered my calls I believe my visit to be warranted."_

"_Oh, really?" Yvonne said, amused. "I don't answer to you, Captain. If anything, you answer to me."_

_That stung. Jack was about to reply when she cut him short._

"_You severed the ties to Torchwood London, as you don't get tired of pointing out. I don't see any reason why I should respond to your questions."_

"_Maybe because you asked for my advice," Jack spat, refusing to back down. "Those cannons are not meant to control the breach. So tell me what you're trying to do to it!"_

"_We're working on a project of supreme national importance," Yvonne said sweetly. "And I am neither willing nor feeling obliged to reveal anything about it to you. If you'll excuse me now."_

_Picking up a pen, she returned her attention to the file on her desk. Jack was ready to explode._

"_I won't just watch you endangering the entire planet with your project, Director," he snarled. "Do you have any idea what you're dealing with? Do you know what those ghosts are? Or where they come from?"_

"_The ghosts are a side effect," Yvonne stated dryly. "They are harmless. And yes, I know what we are dealing with. We even have statistics about the project. So I can assure you that we have everything under control. You can drive back to Cardiff and toy with your own rift."_

"_Yvonne, I really believe that you should run more tests on the breach. I don't think…"_

"_Exactly," Yvonne interrupted him. "You don't think. Otherwise you would think twice about confronting me like this. I might recall your request about seeing our secure archives if you don't leave us alone."_

_Jack scowled._

"_You asked for my help," he told her. "I'm just concerned that control is slipping from your hands and…"_

"_And you might find the cells in our secure archives quite hospitable," Yvonne cut him short, reaching into her desk drawer and putting a gun on the tabletop._

_Jack winced at the implication. She knew him. And Yvonne was callous. She would shoot him __dead without flinching, __and when he came back he would find himself in one of the cells._

"_In order to guard against misunderstandings… You are Torchwood property, Jack. Your liberty is at our discretion," she advised with a sweet smile. "Become a threat and we won't hesitate to incarcerate you." Now her gaze became menacing. "I'm worried about your team, Jack. With you gone, nobody will stand between Miss Sato and UNIT. I'm afraid she'll have to serve her life-sentence. Dr. Harper has conducted several unapproved experiments. He'll lose his licence to practise medicine. And as Miss Costello certainly will stand by you, we will have to prosecute her with treason."_

_By then Jack shivered with rage, seriously contemplating pulling out his Webley and shooting the director._

"_Dear Jack," Yvonne chirped, eyeing his defensive posture with disdain, "I know how much you love to solve problems with your gun, but i__f I were you, I would withstand the urge to pull the trigger on me, drive back to Cardiff and forget about the ghosts. We're capable of dealing with them. We do every day. And now excuse me, please. I have work to do."_

"I managed to save face until I was in the elevator," Jack rounded up his tale. "I don't really remember how I got back to Cardiff even though I must have driven myself."

When he trailed off he became aware of Ianto's right arm lying across his shoulders as the young man leaned against him. His left hand lay on Jack's left forearm, his thumb stroking soothingly. At the captain's last words Ianto reassuringly squeezed his arm.

"You know," the Welshman murmured, "when Toshiko told me about the conditions of her release I was appalled, but now I start to think that you had no other choice."

"It was the only way to get her out," Jack murmured and Ianto could hear the compassionate pain vibrating in his voice. "She's not just a genius. She's brilliant, strong, and kind… She didn't deserve a fate like that."

"I still don't understand how they could do this to her if she only tried to save her mother."

"You mean that UNIT should have considered the hostage situation to be extenuating circumstances?" Jack asked and saw Ianto nod. "Well, she still committed treason. Being incarcerated was better than being shot."

Once more Ianto nodded. He had to admit that he did not think about it from this point of view before. _What would I do if I was put into such a position? What could I do?_ His heart clenched painfully when he wondered what he would have been prepared to do for Lisa. She had died to buy him a little more time. A little more time that would save him in the end. Tears lurked in his eyes.

"What could she have done?" he asked.

"She should've told her superiors," Jack tonelessly said. "It would've been a counter-intelligence case, so I think MI-5 would've dealt with it."

"You mean she should've refused? Should've put her mother at even more risk?"

"There was no guarantee that the kidnappers would let her go anyway," Jack told him sternly. "In fact Tosh told me that they did cheat, trying to force her to continue to work for them. Reporting the extortion attempt would've saved Tosh from prosecution…"

"And have further endangered her mother," Ianto cut in. "Do you really think their chances were better if Tosh had reported the kidnapping?"

"Well, statistically…"

"Statistically," Ianto huffed. "One can find statistics about an_ything_. Doesn't mean they're anything _significant_."

At that Jack had to chuckle. "So true."

Not for the first time Jack let his fingers run over the wool of his greatcoat. It felt wonderfully warm and fluffy, as if it was new. Suddenly the suspicion was back and he asked with confusion, "Ianto, this _is_ my coat, right?"

Scooting away from him Ianto scowled at the captain.

"What kind of question is _that_, sir?"

Biting his bottom lip with a sheepish grin Jack shrugged lopsidedly, "A logical one. This feels like new."

"Slide your hand into its right arm, sir, and feel right below the shoulder. Then you'll know that it's _not_ new."

Doing as he was told Jack inspected the coat's inside and found a hardly noticeable seam. Once more he bit his bottom lip. _I did him wrong again._

"I'm sorry," he murmured and felt his voice fail, "You worked a miracle, Ianto. And all I can say is: Thank you."

"You're welcome… Jack."

That made the captain smirk. "Seriously, Ianto. I'm very grateful and… and I'm so sorry for doubting you and getting so angry before I knew the facts."

"You were really pissed off because it was gone, right?" Ianto said. "I'm sorry. I should've asked."

"Yes…" Jack conceded, "but I'm really touched by the thoughtful thing you've done. Please accept my invitation to take you out to dinner, as an apology for believing you could do something as horrible…"

"As horrible as what?" Ianto gasped.

"As horrible as disposing of something as personal as a coat without asking."

Ianto was stunned beyond words and could just shake his head with disbelief.

"I'm really sorry, Ianto," Jack pleaded. "Allow me to take you out to dinner."

Once more Ianto shook his head.

"No, sir. You've done so much more. Not just for me. For so many other people. Cardiff. London. The whole world. Mending your coat was a small thing to do."

"But I did you so wrong by assuming the worst," Jack insisted, helplessly trying to reach out for the young Welshman even though he knew he would reject him. "Please. Just dinner…"

"Apology accepted, sir," Ianto firmly told him and smoothly got up. Taking hold of Jack's outstretched hand he pulled him up to his feet. "You're ruddy tired, so I'll ignore you getting soppy. You can buy the team's takeaway the next time." Straightening the coat he smiled at Jack and said, "If it's any consolation, your odds just rose to forty-five percent in favour."

The ridiculous smirk that cracked the captain's features made him laugh. Reaching out for him Ianto straightened out a fold in his coat and Jack wished those elegant hands would touch his skin instead. When he tried to take Ianto's hand the Welshman avoided him.

"Careful, sir," he muttered. "I… can't do that. Too soon."

"I know, Ianto," Jack replied gently. "I thought I made clear that I'm respecting that. I know I'm being forward… but I'm not stupid."

"Yeah."

"Can we keep up our game, though?" Jack smirked. "I really love it."

"Our game, sir?"

"Flirting, rejecting, counting my odds…" Jack clarified. "You'll let me know when it's time for dinner, right?"

"Yes, sir," Ianto agreed and meant it. Actually he was glad that Jack was not empathic. Otherwise he would notice that Ianto did indeed feel it. As soon as the gloomy mood lifted from Jack he sensed it again, the desire and his animalistic attraction, and could not deny the effect.

"I'm glad you're here," Jack said. "And thank you again for mending my coat. You don't know how much it means to me."

Ianto thought that he got a pretty good idea after experiencing Jack's wrath and desperation but refused to mention it.

"I made you a thermos of coffee, sir," he said instead. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Sure," Jack teased with a lecherous grin. "But that would sooo exceed going out for dinner."

"Careful, sir. That could be considered harassment."

Jack laughed. "Is that going to be your favourite saying while you're here?"

"That depends," Ianto teased with a broad smirk. "You don't want me to reduce your odds again, do you?"

"No way," Jack shook his head. This game was so sweet and painful at the same time. "Thanks for the coffee."

"You're welcome." As he could cheer Jack up again, Ianto thought he could try and address one of his worries. "Um, Jack… about the spidermice."

"Uh, uh!" Jack waggled a finger at him. "Don't ask me. You of all people should know that I'm not on best terms with those critters."

"I know, Jack," Ianto agreed with a shy smile. "It's just… what shall I do with them? I can't keep them at my bedsit forever. The cage is way too small for them."

"You should've thought about that before you coaxed UNIT into giving them to you."

"I accept that you don't want them here, but maybe you have an idea where they're better off than with UNIT."

All Jack could offer was a helpless shrug.

"What about Edinburgh?"

Jack shrugged. "You can ask Archie if he's willing to take them in." Seeing Ianto's disappointment, Jack said, "But you don't want to give them away… I understand that, Ianto. I… just can't stand them. Keep them if you find a way. Just make sure they're not discovered. I trust you to keep our secrets."

"Of course," Ianto assured him. "What do you think of me?"

"Only the best," Jack said with a broad smirk, his thoughts drifting to other spheres again.

_Incorrigible,_ Ianto thought.

"Well, it was worth a try," he said. "Good night, sir."

"Good night, Ianto." _And, ohhh, how do I wish I could take you in my arms. Just for a hug._ Inwardly he sighed as he watched the Welshman leave his office.

Walking away was not as easy for Ianto as it appeared to be. There was a part of him that wanted to give in to the charming captain, but as he had told him, the time was not ripe for them yet. So Ianto picked up his bag from the chest in passing and returned home to take care of his spidermice and prepare for another day.

xXx

"Now, aren't you glad the Welshman has his own bedsit now?" Suzie teased as she followed Owen into his apartment.

"Huh?" he kind of burped. Neither of them was quite sober anymore. After two pints apiece at Eddie's diner they decided to take their thirst elsewhere and as Owen's flat was much closer to the bay they went there.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't be here now if he'd still occupy your couch, right?"

"Actually, he took the bed," Owen said as he opened the fridge to get out the beer. He popped two open and held one out for Suzie.

"You let him have the bed?" she laughed and took a swig.

"I was in doctor mode," Owen shrugged and toed off his shoes before he padded to the sofa.

"You like him."

"You make it sound like an accusation," Owen huffed and dropped onto the couch.

"Well, I don't know what to make of him yet."

"Did you inherit Jack's suspicions at anything Torchwood One?"

At that she grinned. "Probably."

"I think he's okay," Owen shrugged, taking a drink from his beer. "I spent some time with him while he was trapped and he didn't appear to be as narrow-minded as the others there."

"Probably," she repeated and knelt on the sofa beside him, her left leg dangling over the edge as she sat. A crooked grin played around her lips when she took a gulp of her beer. "I still don't understand how he convinced Jack that he's on our side."

"There's a side?"

"Of course there is. Jack didn't sever the links to headquarters without a reason." She shook her head and drank again. "No, I mean our captain's thinking with the wrong head again."

At that Owen chuckled. "And that surprises you? It's Captain Jack we're talking about after all."

Putting her right arm on the backrest Suzie rested her head in her hand and sipped on her beer again. She eyed Owen intently. "Do you trust Ianto?"

Quirking an eyebrow at her he replied without a lot of contemplation, "Yeah."

"Why?"

Owen shrugged. "I do. He's got wit and courage… he was good when we were in the secure archives. Shot that predator, too."

"He's an archivist," she kept bugging. "One's archivist. And still Jack gives him a free hand. Who knows what he's doing down there in the vaults."

"God help us, he might be organizing them," Owen said in mock dismay. "We'll never find anything again." After finishing his beer with two more gulps he burped and put the bottle onto the coffee table. Turning to Suzie he mumbled, "Stop worrying. You know Jack doesn't trust easily. One hint at the Welshman playing a wrong game and not even his sex appeal will help him."

Suzie still did not look convinced.

"What can I do to make you forget your worries for a while?" Owen smirked lecherously and reached out to thread his fingers into her dark curls. Taking hold of her hair he pulled her closer and their lips met in a feverish kiss. "Does that help?" he grunted when they broke up to breathe.

"A little…"

Taking her bottle away he put it onto the table, too, and leaned back in. Their kisses became more passionate and their hands roamed across one another's body until…

…an inappropriate sound made Suzie back off.

"Ewwww, Owen! Really? We're snogging and you fart…? Eeeewwwww!"

"It escaped me," he murmured sheepishly.

"Make sure it doesn't escape you again or I'll be the one escaping."

"Won't happen again," Owen promised and reached for Suzie's blouse, fumbling open the buttons.

"It better not," she threatened as she pulled his sweater over his head.

Owen's vest followed as well as Suzie's blouse and bra. Sharing more kisses they groped at each other. Her breasts were so wonderfully firm under his hand and teasing her nipples made them even harder. Without breaking their kisses they fumbled their zippers open and wound out of their trousers. Having no clothing left that restricted their motions they sprawled onto the couch, legs tangling and kissing heatedly, striving for their union.

xXx

Opening the door to his bedsit, Ianto was surprised by an unexpected sight. Toshiko sat on the sofa, playing with one of the cuddly spidermice. It ran up her arm and over her shoulder. Before it could get into her hair, Toshiko blocked its way with her hand. When it sat on her palm she lightly petted it with two fingers.

"Hey."

"Hey, Ianto. Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't feel like going home. Your landlady let me in."

"It's okay," he assured her. "How are they?"

"Fine, I think." Toshiko smirked at the little creature she held. "They're fascinating."

"Did you feed them?"

"Yes. I gave them water, too." She smiled at him. "They seem to behave now."

"They still need another home," Ianto sighed and put down the bag and carton he carried. Should he tell her about his conversation with Jack? He decided against it. "Do you like pizza?"

"That depends. What's on it?"

"Um… a bit of everything," Ianto smirked and sat down beside her, turning the carton around to push back the cover. "What do you think?"

"Well, that's not meat feast," she chuckled and got up to return the spidermouse to its comrades in the cage. "They're sooo cute!"

"It's not much meat on it," Ianto stated. "Just some chicken."

"What else?" Toshiko queried, sitting back down with him.

"Hmmm, red onion, artichoke, feta, tomato… sweet corn, mushrooms, chilli peppers."

"What cheese is this?" she asked, bending forward for a closer look.

"Oh, um… mozzarella and cheddar."

"Interesting choice."

"Tastes good together," Ianto shrugged and tried to pick up a piece of pizza. "Hmmm…" Getting up he went to the tiny kitchenette in the corner of the room. It was just a board with a small sink, a microwave, and an electric kettle. On a board above stood a few dishes and a small stand with cutlery. Ianto returned with two plates, forks, and knives.

"Makes things easier," he chuckled.

"Indeed."

While Ianto distributed slices of pizza onto the plates, Toshiko got up to wash her hands. When she sat down with him, they tucked in. For a while they ate in silence that was finally broken by Toshiko.

"Was he very mad?"

"Who?" Ianto mumbled around a bite.

"Jack."

Gulping his food down Ianto said, "Yes and no. He didn't have a reason anymore when he entered his office."

"Ianto!" Toshiko gasped. "Did you really take his coat? Are you out of your mind?"

"It needed cleaning," he shrugged and took another bite of pizza.

"As cranky as he was on the drive back I was a little worried," she explained. "He had figured out that only you could've taken it. Right then I thought he'd rip your head off."

"Nah, he just screamed around a bit," Ianto reassured her. "I'm all right… and he's fine, too. Really."

"Okay." Toshiko could not stand it for very long, though. Her concern was clearly audible when she said, "Those things… they're like whirlwinds and they attacked Jack. We had to resuscitate him. I wish he would've let Owen give him a once over. With the Bekaran scanner it's really not a big thing."

At her mention of resuscitation Ianto paused. It intrigued him that his colleagues did not seem to know about Jack's strange ability. They had worked with him closely for years after all. Ianto himself was still trying to wrap his head around the idea that the captain was immortal.

"I guess he was just a bit sensitive because of the shock," he suggested. "When I left he appeared to be all right. Brooding a bit, but okay."

"Good."

They finished the pizza off in companionable silence. Ianto could sense that something was still weighing on Toshiko's mind, but he was far from asking. If she wanted to talk she would address the matter on her own accord. His gaze drifted to the cage where the spidermice settled in their nest of silk threads.

"They're sleepy," he smiled.

"It's late," Toshiko stated with a lopsided shrug. "We should be sleepy, too, but I'm too wound up."

"Yeah, so am I," he agreed. "The captain and I had an intense talk and it's still going round my head. It's hard to come to rest."

"And how's the archiving going?" Toshiko asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Good," Ianto drawled. "It'll take a while."

"Yeah, sorry. Our archiving is kinda… innovative."

At that Ianto laughed softly. "Nice euphemism."

"It's nice that you're here, you know," she murmured and scooted a little closer to lean against his side. "We can talk so well with each other."

"Don't you talk with the others?"

"Well, we do talk, but… not so much after work." She snuggled against him and put her head on his shoulder. "I'm just not on the same wavelength with Suzie and Owen, well, Owen's not interested in… talking with me."

Smiling to himself Ianto put his arm around her shoulders.

"I guess he just hasn't noticed yet how brilliant you are because he never comes out of his med bay," he softly chuckled. "I'm sure he'd be crazy about you once he has a better look."

"Sure," she huffed against his shoulder. "That's why he's shagging Suzie."

_Oh._

As Ianto was not sure about what to say about that, he did not reply.

"They really need another home," Toshiko murmured. "The cage is way too small for them. We could take them to one of the unused store rooms and…"

"No!" Ianto stopped her. "No. Not to the Hub. If one should get near Jack… unimaginable!"

"Okay… but where else could they go?"

"We'll think of something."

Sinking a bit deeper in the cushions Ianto leaned his head back. It was nice to sit with a friend like that. Toshiko's presence was very welcome as he simply did not have to be on his own with his brooding. Now he just tried to relax which worked so well that he fell asleep while Toshiko was snoring softly in his arms.

tbc…


End file.
